BEING  ASIMPLE  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  UFE  ANDTIMEOF 

THE  rev:  JACOB  ALBRIGHT 


REV.  A.STAPLETON,A.M^.SJDlD. 


[ 

Digitized  by 

the  Internet  Arcliive 

in  2014 

https://archive.org/details/wonderfulstoryofOOstap 


THE  REV.  JACOB  ALBRIGHT. 
{Founder  of  the  Evangelical  Association.) 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY 

OF 

Old  Time  Evangelical 
Evangelism 

BEING  a  simple  ACCOUNT  of  the  LIFE  AND  TIME 

OF 

The  Rev.  Jacob  Albright 

FOUNDER  OF  THE  EVANGELICAL  ASSOCIATION 

WITH 

THE  HISTORICAL  BACKGROUND 
AND  ANTECEDENTS 

ALSO 

A  BIOGRAPHICAL  SUPPLEMENT 

EMBRACING  BRIEF   BIOGRAPHIES  OF  ALBRIGHT'S 
COLLEAGUES  AND  COWORKERS,  AND  HIS 
CHIEF  CONTEMPORARY  EVANGELISTS 

By 

REV.  A.  STAPLETON,  A.M.,  M.S.,  D.D. 

Member  of  the 

Pennsylvania  Historical  Society,  and  the  Pennsylvania  German  Society. 
Author  of  "Natural  History  of  the  Bible,'*  "Evangelical  Annals/'  "Memorials 
of  the  Huguenots,"  "Flashlights  on  Evangelical  History,** 
"The  Henkel  Memorial,**  &c.,  &c. 


"Remember  the  days  of  old,  consider  the  years  of  many  generations:  ask  thy  father,  and  he 
will  show  thee;  thy  elders,  and  they  will  tell  thee' '  Deut.  32:  7. 

Harrisburg,  Pa. 
Publishing  House  of  the  United  Evangelical  Church 
1917 


Copyright,  1918, 
PuBUSHiNG  House  of  United  Evangelical  Church, 
Harrisburg,  Pa. 


Introduction. 


THIS  "Wonderful  Story"  is  Dr.  Stapleton's  last  contribution 
to  the  historical  records  of  the  Church  that  he  loved  and 
served  so  faithfully,  and  it  is  the  only  one  of  his  works  whose 
publication  was  deferred  until  after  his  sudden  and  lamented 
death.  Having  been  obliged  to  edit  this  work  since  the  departure 
of  the  Author,  and  therefore  unable  to  consult  with  him  about  it, 
I  have  deemed  it  best  to  leave  unchanged,  for  the  most  part,  the 
form  and  order  and  arrangement  of  the  great  mass  of  valuable 
material  so  industriously  gathered  and  sifted  by  him,  realizing, 
as  I  did,  that  the  nature  of  the  treatment  involved  unavoidable 
repetitions  in  some  parts  of  the  story. 

The  title  of  this  book  is  not  a  misnomer.  It  is  indeed  a  "won- 
derful story"  which  it  tells — a  story  of  heroic  human  devotion, 
self-sacrifice  and  triumph  in  the  service  of  Christ,  and  of  Divine 
grace  and  guidance  and  power  in  the  establishment  of  His  work 
among  men.  And  it  is  indeed  a  beautiful  illustration  of  the  ways 
of  Divine  Providence  in  choosing  "the  foolish  things  of  the  world 
to  confound  the  wise,  and  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  con- 
found the  things  which  are  mighty,  and  base  things  of  the  world, 
and  things  which  are  despised,  yea,  and  things  which  are  not,  to 
bring  to  naught  things  that  are :  that  no  flesh  should  glory  in  his 
presence."  (i  Cor.  1:26-2^.) 

This  is  a  book  for  the  preachers,  a  book  for  the  people — "the 
common  people" — a  live  coal  to  fire  the  heart  and  touch  the  lips. 
Did  not  my  heart  burn  within  me,  as  I  passed  over  the  pages  of 
the  manuscript,  pen  in  hand,  again  and  again,  to  prepare  it  for 
the  compositors.  That  it  may  serve  as  a  timely  reminder,  a  burn- 
ing exhortation,  and  a  holy  inspiration  to  the  pastors  and  people 
of  the  United  Evangelical  Church  and  the  Evangelical  Associa- 
tion, especially,  is  my  ardent  prayer  and  hope,  as  I  am  sure  this 
was,  and  is,  also  the  desire  of  my  departed  friend  and  brother  be- 
loved, the  author  of  the  book,  who  is  now  enjoying  the  high  and 


3 


4 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


holy  fellowship  of  Albright  and  his  co-laborers  in  the  Heavenly 
Home. 

God  of  our  fathers  whom,  long  years  ago, 

Thou  didst  call  forth  to  walk  and  work  with  Thee, 

We  pray  Thee  bless  this  Story  of  Thy  grace, 

Of  works  wrought  through  Thy  servants  by  Thy  power, 

That,  being  dead,  they  still  may  loudly  speak 

To  us,  their  children  of  the  later  days, 

That  we  their  faith  may  follow,  as  we  reap 

The  ripening  harvests  of  their  toils  and  tears. 


H.  B.  HarTzIvEr. 

Harrisburg,  Pa.,  September  i,  1917. 


Author's  Preface. 


AT  the  General  Conference  of  the  United  Evangelical  Church, 
held  at  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  in  the  year  1906,  a  resolution 
was  adopted  requesting  the  writer  to  prepare  a  brief  history  of 
Jacob  Albright.  This  volume  is  the  author's  response  to  the  re- 
quest of  the  General  Conference.  While  the  work  of  its  prepara- 
tion has  been  congenial  and  pleasant,  it  has  also  been  very  diffi- 
cult, chiefly  on  account  of  the  scanty  data  relating  to  the  personal 
life  and  work  of  its  revered  subject.  From  the  fact  that  Al- 
bright was  very  methodical  in  his  life  and  work,  and  that  he 
strictly  enjoined  his  ministerial  associates  to  keep  a  journal,  we 
conclude  that  he  himself  also  kept  one  which,  unfortunately,  has 
been  lost  to  the  Church, 

The  first  biographer  of  Albright  was  his  immediate  successor, 
Rev.  George  Miller,  who  in  1814  published  a  brief  memoir,  of 
which  however  not  a  single  copy  is  now  known  to  exist.  This 
memoir,  in  connection  with  that  of  Miller,  was  republished  by 
the  Church  in  1834,^  and  these  again  in  connection  with  memoirs 
of  Walter  and  Dreisbach  added,  in  1879.^ 

In  his  memoir  of  Albright,  his  biographer  (Miller)  gives  as 
an  extract,  in  the  first  person,  an  extensive  account  of  Albright's 
conversion,  experiences,  and  call  to  the  ministry,  which,  because 
of  its  character  and  literary  style  differing  from  that  of  Miller, 
leads  us  to  the  belief  that  the  latter  had  access  to  his  journal. 

The  period  of  Albright's  evangelistic  activity  was  character- 
ized by  religious  unrest  in  Pennsylvania,  especially  among  the 
Germans.  That  there  was  a  general  and  deeply  felt  need  of  a 
better  spiritual  life  in  the  churches,  is  evinced  by  the  successful 
work  of  the  Methodists,  who  were  English,  and  also  that  of  the 
Reformed  evangelists,  Otterbein,  Pfrimmer,  Gueting,  Ettinger, 
Houtz,  and  others,  and  which  eventuated  in  the  formation  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church. 

1  "Albrecht  und  Miller,"  a  321110  book  of  176  pages. 

2  "Albright  and  Co-L,aborers,"  121110,  335  pages. 

5 


6 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


We  have  treated  these  movements  and  Albright's  relation  to 
them  in  such  a  manner,  that  the  discerning  reader  will  see  the 
reason  for  the  separate  and  distinctive  work  of  Albright,  and 
also  to  show  the  growth  of  the  denominational  spirit  that  eventu- 
ated in  the  formation  of  the  Evangelical  Association. 

The  purely  literary  reader  may  find  it  difficult  to  understand 
why  there  is  such  a  studied  reference  to  persons  and  localities  in 
this  work.  The  explanation  lies  in  the  fact  that  Albright  was 
not  only  an  evangelist  and  reformer,  but  also  the  founder  of  a 
church.  Except  in  a  few  instances,  he  had  no  churches  iri  which 
to  preach,  and  it  became  necessary  to  secure  large  rooms  in  private 
dwellings,  as  also  barns  and  orchards,  in  which  to  preach. 

The  men  who  thus  received  him  and  welcomed  his  ministry 
became,  for  the  most  part,  pillars  in  the  Evangelical  Church. 
Some  of  them  became  ministers,  while  many  have  had  an  un- 
broken line  of  ministerial  representatives  from  that  beginning  of 
the  Church  until  now.  Moreover,  many  of  those  homes,  or  the 
localities  in  which  they  were,  became  the  seat  of  classes  or  church 
organizations.  The  devout  student  of  history  will  find  in  many 
of  these  references  seemingly  irrelevant,  but  very  remarkable 
instances  of  Divine  providence. 

While  previous  works  by  the  present  writer,  as  well  as  others, 
have  been  freely  made  use  of  in  the  preparation  of  this  volume, 
and  although  over  a  century  has  passed  since  Albright  died,  yet 
we  feel  confident  that  the  Evangelical  Church  will  find  in  this 
work  a  sufficient  amount  of  new  material,  and  a  re-setting  of 
known  facts,  to  fully  justify  the  call  of  the  General  Conference 
for  the  preparation  of  the  volume. 

A.  STAPI.ETON. 

Jersey  Shore,  Pa.,  ipij. 


Contents. 

Introduction,    3 

Author's  Pre;fack,   5 

Sketch  of  Dr.  Stapleton,   ii 

Chapter      I.  The  Pennsyi^vania  Germans,    13 

Chapter     II .  Early  Life  oe  Albright,   23 

Chapter   III.  Albright's  Work  in  Relation  to  Prot- 
estant Faith  and  Evangelism,  ....  36 
Chapter    IV.  Albright  in  Relation  to  the  Method- 
ists AND  United  Brethren,   45 

Chapter     V.  The  First  Sowing,   52 

Chapter    VI.  The  Widening  Field,   65 

Chapter  VII.  Gathering  the  Harvest,   78 

Chapter  VIII.  Ecclesiastical  Organization,   92 

Chapter    IX.  Denominational  Development,    100 

Chapter     X.  Last  Days  oe  Albright,    108 

Chapter    XI.  In  Perils  Oft,    115 

Chapter  XII.  Biographical  Supplement,   122 


7 


Illustrations. 

Page. 

The  Rev.  Jacob  Ai^bright,   Frontispiece 

The  Old  Court  House,  "Yorktown/'  Where  the  Con- 
tinental Congress  Held  Its  Sessions,    4 

AiyBRiGHT  Farm,    23 

Present  Appearance    (1917)    oE   "Old   St.  Elias" 
Church,  at  Mifflinburg,  Pa.,  in  which  Albright  and 

Coworkers  Frequently  Preached,    65 

J.  Dreisbach,    78 

House  Where  First  Conference  Was  Held,  1807,  ...  92 
Photographic  Reproduction  of  Title  Page  of  the 

First  Evangelical  Discipline,    95 

Site  and  Farm  Where  Albright  Died,   108 

Tombstone  of  Jacob  Albright,    no 

A  ''Saddle-Bags  Man,"   115 

Facsimile  of  License  as  a  Minister  on  Probation 

Granted  to  John  Dreisbach,   122 

Rev.  Henry  Niebel,    135 

Rev.  a.  Ettinger,    142 


9 


Portrait  of  Jacob  Albright. 

The  following  explanator}^  statement  from  Dr.  Stapleton, 
written  at  Jersey  Shore,  Pa.,  September  25,  191 3,  accompanied 
the  portrait  on  the  opposite  page : 

''This  picture  was  executed  in  water  color  about  the  year  1806 
or  1807,  by  Louis  Miller,  a  local  amateur  artist  of  York,  Pa. 
Miller's  chief  work  was  the  execution  of  a  portfolio  of  celebrities 
and  buildings  of  York.  Mr.  Miller,  when  an  old  man,  was  cared 
for  by  the  Small  family,  of  York,  and  at  his  death  the  portfolio 
came  into  their  possession,  and  a  later  generation  presented  it  to 
the  York  County  Historical  Society.  There  the  author  of  this 
volume  discovered  the  picture  of  Albright  and  had  it  photo- 
graphed. 

"The  pictures  painted  by  Miller  are  held  to  be  good,  and  have 
been  made  use  of  in  the  various  histories  of  York,  especially  by 
the  author  of  the  'Spangler  Annals.' 

"In  the  picture  of  Albright  there  seems  to  be  a  defect  in  the 
contour  of  the  mouth,  produced  by  the  running  of  color,  which 
gives  it  undue  length  of  'cut.'  The  eyes,  too,  seem  blurred. 
Plence  an  entirely  new  picture  has  been  drawn  by  a  noted  artist, 
taking  the  Miller  picture  as  a  basis,  and  the  picture  herewith 
printed  is  the  result."    (See  Frontispiece.) 


Sketch  of  Rev.  A.  Stapleton,  M.  S.,  A.  M.,  D.  D., 
Author  of  this  Book. 

BY  REV.  A.  D.  GRAMLEY,  B.  D. 

DR.  AMMON  STAPLETON  was  born  at  Oley,  Berks 
County,  Pennsylvania,  January  15,  1850.  In  his  early  days 
his  parents  moved  to  Union  County  where  he  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  youth  at  Lewisburg  and  New  Berlin,  Pa.  He  was 
converted  in  the  first  church  of  the  Evangelical  Association  while 
a  student  at  Union  Seminary  at  New  Berlin,  Pa.,  in  1871.  He 
was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  by  the  Central  Pa.  Conference 
at  York,  Pa.,  Bishop  J.  J.  Esher,  chairman,  and  I.  M.  Pines, 
secretary.  He  was  ordained  deacon  at  New  Berlin,  1875,  Bishop 
J.  J.  Esher  presiding.  He  received  his  Elder's  orders  from  the 
hands  of  Bishop  R.  Yeakel  at  Williamsport  in  1877. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  Army  and 
served  in  the  Civil  War  frorr^  1864  to  its  close,  having  witnessed 
the  great  battle  of  Gettysburg.  He  received  his  fundamental 
training  in  the  public  schools  of  his  county  and  at  Union  Semi- 
nary. He  continued  his  studies  all  through  his  busy  ministerial 
life.  In  early  manhood  he  began  to  specialize  in  particular 
branches  of  learning.  He  first  turned  his  attention  to  Biology 
and  Geology  and  acquired  quite  a  large  and  valuable  collection 
of  fossils  and  minerals.  These  are  now  an  appreciated  asset  to 
the  Albright  College  Museum.  Later  he  turned  his  attention  to 
history  and  became  quite  an  investigator  and  genealogist.  He 
was  encyclopedic  in  his  knowledge  of  historical  data.  He  was 
naturally  inclined  to  stir  smouldering  embers  into  lambent  flames 
and  swing  a  torch,  not  so  easily  to  be  extinguished,  into  every 
nook  and  corner  of  early  Evangelical  history. 

As  a  historian  he  had  no  peer  in  the  Church  and  his  literary 
genius  found  fruitage  in  such  works  as  "Evangelical  Annals," 
"Flashlights  of  Evangelical  History,"  "Life  and  Times  of  Jacob 
Albright,"  "Memorial  of  the  Huguenots,"  "Heroines  of  the  Revo- 
lution," "Natural  History  of  the  Bible,"  and  "The  Marvelous 
Story  of  Selin,  the  Algerine  Castaway." 

II 


12 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


Dr.  Stapleton  was  one  of  the  best  informed  men  in  the  United 
Evangelical  Church,  and  outside  of  his  denomination  he  was 
recognized  as  a  scholar  and  writer.  Central  Pennsylvania  Col- 
lege conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  M.S.  and  A.M.  in  1888 
and  1896  respectively.  About  ten  years  ago  Ur sinus  College,  an 
institution  of  the  Reformed  Church,  conferred  upon  him  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  as  a  mark  of  respect  to  his  ability. 

He  served  with  acceptability  a  number  of  important  appoint- 
ments in  the  Central  Pa.  Conference.  He  served  eight  years  as 
presiding  elder,  and  seven  years  as  secretary  of  his  conference, 
and  represented  his  conference  a  number  of  times  at  the  General 
Conference  as  an  influential  delegate. 

His  sudden  death  on  the  night  of  September  17-18,  19 16,  was 
a  shock  to  a  host  of  interested  friends.  He  was  pastor  of  St. 
Paul's  United  Evangelical  Church,  Williamsport,  Pa.,  at  the  time 
of  his  departure.  One  needs  but  look  over  the  official  roster  to 
note  his  prominence.  He  was  president  of  the  Educational  Aid, 
Bible  Conference  Society,  Deaconess  Board  of  his  Conference, 
and  trustee  of  Albright  College,  and  the  Evangelical  Home,  a 
life  member  of  the  German  Historical  Society  and  the  corre- 
sponding secretary  of  the  Evangelical  Historical  Society  as  well 
as  president  of  the  Joint  Centennial  Committee  which  had  in 
charge  the  programmatical  arrangements  for  the  celebration  of 
the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  building  of  the  first  Evan- 
gelical church,  and  he,  more  than  any  other  person,  contributed 
to  the  historic  interest  and  success!  of  the  celebration. 

In  disposition  he  was  approachable,  in  geniality  balmy,  in  de- 
meanor courteous,  in  debate  fair,  in  argumentation  astute,  in 
diplomacy  judicious,  in  discrimination  sagacious,  in  committee 
meetings  thoughtful,  in  conference  commanding,  in  study  dili- 
gent, in  labors  unwearied,  in  recital  fascinating,  in  disputation 
acute,  in  description  graphic,  in  portrayal  vivid,  in  speech  fluent, 
and  in  address  oratorical. 

"Servant  of  God,  well  done; 

Rest  from  thy  loved  employ; 
The  battle  fought,  the  victory  won. 
Enter  thy  Master's  joy." 


CHAPTER  I. 


The  Pennsylvania  Germans. 

Albright  one  of  the  "Pennsylvania  Germans" — His  work  confined  to  them 
— JVho  they  were — Causes  of  their  emigration — The  Thirty  Years'  War 
— Devastation  of  the  Palatinate — Religious  persecution  of  the  Pietists — 
A  "Joshua"  appears — Migration  to  New  York — Deiiected  to  Pennsyl- 
vania— Large  bodies  of  exiles — Large  number  of  the  immigrants — 
First  ministers  exiles — Great  scarcity  of  ministers — Muhlenberg  and 
Schlatter  organize  the  Lutheran  and  Reformed  Synods — Great  religious 
declension — Leaven  of  Pietism  remains. 

REV.  JACOB  ALBRIGHT  was  born,  reared,  and  educated 
a  German,  preached  in  the  German  language,  and  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century  had  no  EngHsh  preacher  in  the  de- 
nomination he  founded.^  His  followers  also  were  Germans,  and 
evangelistic  work  among  the  English  was  discouraged,  for  rea- 
sons which  will  appear  later.  These  Germans,  however,  were  not 
Eluropean,  but  so-called  "Pennsylvania  Germans,"  whose  fore- 
fathers had  fled  from  the  European  Fatherland  on  account  of 
war,  religious  persecution,  and  civil  oppression.  Instead  of 
''High"  German,  they  spoke  the  soft  and  beautiful  dialect  of  the 
Palatinate  or  Rhine  provinces,  from  whence  their  fathers  had 
come.  Since  the  founder  of  ''The  Evangelical  Association  of 
North  America,"  as  well  as  his  immediate  coworker  confined 
their  evangelistic  labors  to  the  Pennsylvania  Germans,  a  brief  ac- 
count of  their  origin  will  enable  the  reader  to  have  a  more  com- 
t)rehensive  understanding  of  the  Life  and  Times  of  Albright  as 
presented  in  this  volume,  for  the  work  they  inaugurated  in  its 
distinctive  mission  retained  its  original  features  over  half  a  cen- 
tury.2 

1  James  Hamilton  was  the  first  English  preacher  granted  license,  in  1825. 
Rev.  John  Conrad  Reisner  was  the  first  European  German  licensed,  in  1822. 

2  General  Conference  of  1843.   See  "Evangelical  Annals,"  p.  269. 


13 


14 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


The  emigration  of  tens  of  thousands  of  Germans  to  William 
Penn's  English  province,  within  a  period  of  a  few  decades,  and 
the  causes  that  led  thereto,  have  in  recent  years  been  fruitful 
subjects  of  historical  investigation.  This  emigration  at  a  certain 
stage  assumed  the  proportions  of  an  exodus  when,  in  the  winter 
of  1709-10,  over  thirty  thousand  people  were  precipitated  upon 
the  shores  of  England  within  a  few  months,  most  of  whom  had 
fled  from  the  Rhine  provinces,  penniless  and  destitute.^  The 
British  authorities  were  taxed  to  their  utmost  to  care  for  this 
mass  of  humanity.  Great  camps  were  constructed  for  them  by 
the  government  on  the  outskirts  of  London,  and  active  prepara- 
tions were  made  to  transport  them  to  various  colonies  of  the 
British  realm. 

After  the  initial  wave  had  spent  itself  the  migration  continued 
in  a^  steady  stream,  mostly  by  way  of  Rotterdam,  direct  to  Phila- 
delphia, until  the  outbreak  of  the  French  and  Indian  War  in  1755. 
While  the  great  mass  of  them  remained  in  Pennsylvania,  large 
numbers  also  went  to  Western  Maryland,  the  Shenandoah 
Valley  of  Virginia,  and  southward  as  far  as  the  forks  of  the 
Yadkin  in  North  Carolina.  Already  in  the  Colonial  period  they 
constituted  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  counties  of 
Berks,  Lancaster,  York,  and  Lehigh,  in  Pennsylvania.  In  many 
sections  of  the  Province  the  German  language  was  almost  ex- 
clusively used  in  the  home,  school,  church,  .and  place  of  business, 
and  to  a  certain  extent  even  in  the  courts  of  justice.  Many  wills 
and  other  documents  of  the  old  Germans  were  written  and  also 
recorded  in  that  language.  An  estimate  may  be  formed  of  the 
large  number  of  Germans  who  found  a  congenial  asylum  here 
from  the  following  facts:  In  1727  the  number  in  the  Province 
was  given  at  twenty  thousand.  In  that  year  the  authorities  be- 
came alarmed  because  of  the  great  number  coming,  and  pre- 
scribed an  oath  of  allegiance  which  was  administered  to  all  male 
adults  upon  arrival.  From  this  date  the  lists  were  preserved 
and  the  arrivals  are  known,  numbering  twenty-four  thousand 
from  1727  to  1749,  and  nearly  thirty-two  thousand  from  that  date 
to  the  outbreak  of  the  French  and  Indian  War  which  stopped  the 

3  For  full  account  of  this  German  Exodus,  see  publications  of  "The 
Pennsylvania  German  Society,"  Vols.  V  to  X. 


THE  PENNSYLVANIA  GERMANS. 


15 


influx.  From  the  close  of  that  war  and  the  outbreak  of  the 
Revolution  some  ten  thousand  more  immigrants  arrived,  and  if 
to  all  this  multitude  we  add  the  natural  increase  of  the  earlier 
arrivals,  the  reader  can  form  a  good  idea  of  ''the  German  Nation" 
in  Pennsylvania.  The  causes  which  led  to  this  great  immigration 
were  many,  each  sufficiently  distressing  in  itself  to  have  led  to  it. 
Narrowed  down,  however,  we  find  the  chief  causes  to  have  been 
the  desolation  of  war  and  civil  and  religious  persecution. 

The  soil  of  the  Palatinate  drank  more  human  blood  in  modern 
times  than  any  other  section  of  equal  size  on  earth.  For  several 
centuries  the  Rhine  Valley  was  the  battle  ground  of  Europe.  It 
was  the  chief  theatre  of  the  ''Thirty  Years'  War"  (1618-1648), 
which  was  the  great  struggle  between  Roman  Catholicism  and 
Protestantism,  involving  nearly  all  the  powers  of  Europe,  and 
terminated  by  the  Peace  of  Westphalia  in  1648.  By  this  treaty 
the  Catholic  powers  were  forced  to  concede  the  rights  of  the 
Protestant  religion. 

The  price  paid  by  the  Protestants  for  the  free  exercise  of  re- 
ligion was  the  most  stupendous  ever  paid  by  mankind.  The  ap- 
palling loss  of  Germany  alone,  as  the  result  of  this  war  and  the 
horrible  famines  that  followed,  may  be  estimated  from  the  fact 
that  the  population  was  reduced  from  seventeen  millions  to  four 
millions  of  souls.*  All  the  large  cities  of  the  Palatinate  were 
repeatedly  taken  by  storm  by  one  or'  the  other  of  the  contestants, 
and  several  cities  were  burned  to  the  ground. 

That  the  reader  may  have  an  idea  of  the  appalling  calamity 
that  befell  our  Palatine  forefathers  we  will  have  a  contemporary 
account  of  what  was  suffered  by  Phillipsburgh,  which  is  only  one 
of  many  similar  tragic  experiences.^  "The  city  of  Phillipsburgh, 
reckoned  the  first  in  the  Palatinate,  has  been  taken  six  times, 
namely,  in  1633  by  the  Imperialists ;  the  year  after  by  the  Swedes ; 
and  in  1636  again  by  the  Imperialists ;  in  1644  by  the  Duke  d' 
Enghien,  afterwards  Prince  of  Conde;  by  the  Germans  in  1676, 
and  by  the  Dauphine  on  his  birthday,  the  first  of  November, 
1688,  but  was  restored  to  the  Empire  by  the  Treaty  of  Ryswick 

4  Vide  "History  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  Germany,"  by  Dr.  J.  Good, 
p.  127. 

5  Preface  to  the  Heidelberg  Catechism,  1709. 


i6 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


in  1697."  The  Treaty  of  Westphalia  (1648),  which  closed  "The 
Thirty  Years'  War,"  was  hardly  more  than  a  truce.  After  the 
withdrawal  of  the  contending  armies  the  sovereigns  of  the  Pala- 
tine states,  by  remitting  the  taxes  for  several  years  and  other- 
wise encouraging  the  people,  induced  them  to  rebuild  anew  the 
waste  places  of  the  Fatherland. 

Their  respite  from  the  horrors  of  war,  however,  was  very 
brief.  In  1685,  Louis  XIV  of  France,  instigated  by  his  bigoted 
Catholic  advisors,  revoked  ''the  Edict  of  Nantes"  by  which 
Henry  IV,  in  1598,  had  granted  religious  freedom  to  his  Prot- 
estant (Huguenot)  subjects.  This  cruel  act  of  the  king  is  the 
darkest  blot  in  the  history  of  France  and  evoked  a  protest  from 
nearly  every  Protestant  country  of  Europe.  Confiscation  of 
property,  banishment,  and  even  death,  was  the  penalty  for  con- 
tinuing in  the  Protestant  faith  in  France.  For  the  history  of 
the  dire  persecutions  that  befell  the  French  Huguenots  the  reader 
must  look  elsewhere;  suffice  it  to  say  that  about  half  a  million 
of  the  best  people  of  France  managed  to  escape  into  the  adjoin- 
ing countries.  The  Palatinate  adjoining  France  soon  swarmed 
with  the  French  Protestant  refugees  who  were  accorded  a  warm 
welcome  by  their  co-religionists.  The  French  sovereign  was 
stung  to  the  quick  by  the  attitude  of  the  Protestant  countries  be- 
cause of  his  Revocation ;  and  he  soon  found  a  pretext  to  punish 
those  nearest  his  dominions  in  consequence.  In  a  short  time  he 
sent  a  powerful  army,  under  the  notorious  General  Melac,  into 
the  Rhine  Valley  with  orders  to  devastate  the  country.  All 
writers  agree  that  Melac  faithfully  carried  out  his  instructions. 
The  city  of  Heidelberg,  the  seat  of  the  great  Reformed  uni- 
versity, and  the  place  where  the  noted  Heidelberg  Catechism  was 
written,  in  1563,  suffered  terribly.  In  1688  it  was  taken  by 
storm  and  sacked,  and  again  in  1693,  when  fifteen  thousand  of 
its  citizens  were  put  to  the  sword.  Twelve  hundred  cities  and 
towns  were  destroyed,  as  also  the  buildings  and  vineyards  in  the 
country.  The  woes  of  the  people,  which  beggar  all  description, 
aroused  the  deepest  sympathy  in  the  entire  Protestant  world. 
Swift  and  terrible  retribution  was  meted  out  to  the  cruel  and  arro- 
gant Louis  for  his  many  misdeeds  when  the  armies  of  England, 


THE  PENNSYLVANIA  GERMANS. 


17 


under  the  great  Duke  of  Marlborough,  crushed  the  power  of 
France  on  the  bloody  field  of  Blenheim,  Aug.  13,  1704. 

In  1697  was  concluded  the  ''Peace  of  Ryswick,"  by  which  the 
Catholic,  Lutheran,  and  Reformed  faiths  were  put  on  an  equal 
plane;  but  the  Catholics  soon  found  many  excuses  for  ignoring 
its  sacred  provisions.  In  1701  the  War  of  the  Spanish  Succes- 
sion broke  out,  which  lasted  twelve  years,  and  the  contending 
armies  again  made  the  Palatinate  their  battle  ground.  In  1707 
General  Villers  at  the  head  of  a  French  army  invaded  the  Palati- 
nate, and  the  atrocities  of  former  years  were  repeated.  In  the 
preface  of  the  Heidelberg  Catechism,  printed  in  London,  in  1709, 
for  the  Reformed  refugees,  of  which  we  have  already  made  men- 
tion, it  is  said :  ''Villers  and  his  army  reduced  the  Palatinate  to 
a  perfect  wilderness,,  not  leaving  the  poor  Reformed  so  much  as 
a  house  in  which  to  hide  their  heads,  or  hardly  enough  clothing  to 
cover  their  nakedness''  The  French,  regardless  of  the  treaty  of 
Ryswick,  sent  many  Jesuit  priests  into  the  Palatinate  to  reclaim 
the  people  to  the  Catholic  faith.  Protestant  schools  were  sup- 
pressed and  the  country  was  flooded  with  their  literature.^  Well 
may  our  hearts  bleed  for  the  woes  of  our  Palatine  forefathers, 
even  at  this  late  day. 

From  these  scenes  of  ruin  and  desolation  let  us  turn  our  eyes 
to  the  dawning  light  of  a  brighter  day.  A  Joshua  appeared  who, 
like  his  name-sake  of  old,  led  his  people  into  "the  Promised 
Land."  A  humble  Lutheran  pastor  of  the  city  of  Lindau,  in 
Bavaria,  was  singled  out  by  Providence  to  take  the  lead  of  the 
Palatines  in  their  quest  for  deliverance  from  the  horrors  of  war 
and  oppression.  This  man  was  Rev.  Joshua  Kocherthal. 

In  1704  Kocherthal  visited  England  in  behalf  of  his  afflicted 
countrymen.  The  results  of  his  visit  were  most  gratifying,  as 
he  was  given  assurance  of  help  in  official  quarters,  if  it  could  be 
given  without  disturbing  political  relations.  The  conclusions 
reached  were  that  emigration  was  the  only  solution  of  the  prob- 

6  The  Protestants,  in  order  to  counteract  the  teachings  of  the  Jesuits, 
printed  and  secretly  circulated  an  anti-Catholic  catechism  which  was  printed 
in  1702,  but  the  author  and  place  of  printing  are  not  given  for  obvious 
reasons.  The  writer  has  probably  the  only  copy  of  this  remarkable  little 
book  in  America. 
2 


i8 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


leni.  Once  under  the  protection  of  England,  they  would  be  safe 
from  their  oppressors. 

In  1706  Kocherthal  published  a  small  pamphlet  in  which  he 
gave  his  plans  relating  to  emigration.  This  book  was  extensively 
circulated  among  the  people  and  had  much  to  do  with  the 
"exodus"  in  1709.  Then,  too,  William  Penn,  the  Founder  of 
Pennsylvania,  had  visited  Germany  in  1676,  in  the  interests  of 
the  oppressed  Mennonites  and  others,  and  the  removal  of  the 
Crefeld  Mennonites  and  some  Huguenots  to  his  new  Colony,  in 
1683,  gave  the  movement  a  strong  impetus. 

In  1708  Kocherthal  set  out  from  Lindau  with  the  vanguard 
of  what  eventually  became  a  mighty  army.  His  party,  mostly 
members  of  his  congregation,  consisted  of  twenty-one  families, 
in  all  numbering  fifty-four  souls.  Proceeding  down  the  Rhine 
and  crossing  over  into  England  they,  in  a  touching  address  to 
Queen  Ann,  described  their  great  misfortunes  and  threw  them- 
selves on  the  bounty  of  the  gracious  Queen.'^  This  was  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Palatine  emigration  to  England  and  America  and 
was  quite  distinct  from  the  Mennonite  movement  which  had  be- 
gun in  1683  with  the  founding  of  Germantown. 

Assisted  by  the  EngHsh,  Kocherthal  and  his  colony  set  sail  for 
New  York  on  April  11,  1708,  where  they  were  given  a  large  grant 
of  land  on  the  Hudson.  The  following  year  he  returned  to  Eng- 
land where,  from  the  many  thousands  of  his  countrymen  who 
had  during  his  absence  arrived,  he  organized,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Government,  the  greatest  colony  that  ever  left  the  shores 
of  Europe.  On  January  20,  17 10,  the  convoy  of  ten  vessels,  hav- 
ing on  board  about  four  thousand  souls,  set  out  under  Kocher- 
thal for  New  York.  Dire  misfortunes  followed  them.  Besides 
almost  incessant  storms,  their  stores  gave  out  because  of  the  long 
voyage  and  various  diseases  broke  out  among  them.  After  hav- 
ing been  on  the  ocean  six  months  and  losing  a  number  of  their 
vessels  and  a  third  of  their  number  by  death,  they  at  last  reached 
their  destination  and  were  placed  on  the  lands  assigned  them. 

The  colonists,  however,  were  not  accorded  fair  treatment  by 

7  Rev.  Joshua  Kocherthal  died  on  the  Hudson  River,  in  New  York,  in 
1719.  For  his  petition  to  Queen  Ann,  see  "Documentary  History  of  New 
York,"  Vol.  V,  p.  44. 


THE  PENNSYLVANIA  GERMANS. 


19 


the  New  Y6rk  authorities  and  they  were  soon  greatly  dissatisfied 
and  great  numbers  moved  to  the  Mohawk  Valley  upon  lands 
given  them  by  the  Indians.  Even  there  the  Colonial  government 
gave  them  no  rest  but  sought  to  compel  them  to  pay  for  their 
land  which  the  friendly  Indians  had  donated  them.  As  an  im- 
mediate result  of  this  injustice,  a  large  party,  in  1723,  guided  by 
their  Indian  friends,  crossed  the  unbroken  forest  to  the  head- 
waters of  the  North  Branch,  where  they  constructed  rafts  on 
which  they  placed  their  families  and  goods  and  proceeded  down 
the  stream  to  the  mouth  of  the  Swatara,  at  (now)  Middletown, 
on  the  Susquehanna  River,  in  Pennsylvania.  Proceeding  up  that 
stream  they  located  in  a  most  beautiful  and  fertile  region  named 
by  the  Indians  Tulpehocken.  In  1728  they  were  followed  by  a 
still  larger  party  led  by  the  noted  Indian  interpreter,  Conrad 
Weiser.  Within  a  few  years  most  of  the  Kocherthal  colonists 
had  removed  from  New  York  to  Pennsylvania,  where  they  were 
well  treated  and  confirmed  in  their  titles  to  land.  The  news  of 
this  transplanting  and  the  betterment  of  their  condition  soon 
reached  Germany  and  had  the  effect  to  change  the  current  of 
emigration  to  Pennsylvania. 

In  this  connection  we  may  mention  other  German  colonists  who 
came  to  this  Province  at  an,  early  day  and  in  course  of  time  were 
absorbed  by  the  great  mass  of  Palatines  and  became  part  of 
the  "Pennsylvania  German"  nation. 

In  1683  arrived  the  first  colony  of  Crefeld  Mennonites,  led  by 
the  noted  Dr.  Francis  Daniel  Pastorius,  and  founded  German- 
town,  near  Philadelphia.  In  1709  began  the  influx  of  Swiss  and 
Alsatian  Mennonites,  who  were  assigned  ten  thousand  acres  of 
land  by  William  Penn  in  Lancaster  county.  In  17 19  the  first 
contingent  of  the  exiled  Dunkards  arrived  and  located  at  Ger- 
mantown.  These  were  followed  in  1729  by  the  founder  of  the 
sect,  Alexander  Mack,  accompanied  by  the  remnant  of  his  fol- 
lowers consisting  of  thirty  families.^  In  1734  arrived  the  rem- 
nants of  the  exiled  Schwenkfelders,  who  located  in  eastern 

8  Alex.  Mack,  founder  of  the  Dunkard  Church,  was  born  1679;  organ- 
ized his  first  society  in  1708;  died  in  Germantown  in  1735.  For  list  of  his 
colony,  see  Pennsylvania  Archives,  Vol.  XVII,  p.  18  (Second  Series). 


20 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


Pennsylvania.^  In  1742-3,  large  bodies  of  Moravians  arrived, 
as  also  their  patron.  Count  Zinzendorf,  and  founded  Bethlehem 
and  Nazareth.^^  Such  in  brief  is  the  history  of  the  "Pennsyl- 
vania Germans, "^^  the  people  with  v^hich  the  matter  of  this  book 
is  vitally  related.  We  will  now  briefly  survey  their  religious  con- 
dition. 

During  the  first  few  decades  the  Germans  had  but  few  pastors 
among  them,  and  such  as  they  had  were  of  the  Pietistic  type  and 
were  themselves  exiles.  The  first  among  the  Lutherans  were 
the  brothers  Daniel  and  Justus  Falckner,  who  belonged  to  the 
Erfurt  Pietistic  group  suppressed  by  the  authorities,  as  elsewhere 
noted.  We  may  here  note,  however,  that  the  Swedes,  who  were 
Lutherans,  had  churches  on  the  Delaware  long  before  the  arrival 
of  Penn.  The  Falckner s  did  not  remain  long  in  the  Province, 
but  took  up  their  work  in  New  Jersey  and  New  York. 

In  17 1 7  arrived  Rev.  Anthony  Jacob  Henkel,  a  Pietistic  min- 
ister and  court  preacher  to  one  of  the  lesser  German  sovereigns. 
For  rebuking  the  excesses  of  the  court  he  was  dismissed  by  his 
sovereign  and  forbidden  to  remain  inl  the  realm.  Although  well 
along  in  life,  he  came  to  Pennsylvania  with  a  large  family  and 
located  in  (now)  New  Hanover.  For  a  while  he  was  the  only 
active  Lutheran  preacher  in  the  Province  and  organized  some  of 
the  oldest  congregations,  among  them  the  Tulpehocken  (1723), 
among  the  Palatines  and  in  Germantown.  After  ten  years  of 
unremitting  labor  he  met  death  suddenly  by  falling  off  his  horse, 
August  12,  1728.^^ 

The  Reformed  immigrants  were  no  better  supplied  with  min- 
isters. There  was  no  Reformed  minister  in  the  Province  until 
1 7 10,  when  Rev.  Samuel  Gulden  arrived  from  Switzerland.  He 
had  been  the  pastor  of  several  churches  near  Bern,  and  being  a 
Pietist,   he   encouraged   conventicles    (prayer   meetings)  and 

9  Adherents  of  Count  Casper  von  Schwenkfeld  of  Silesia,  born  1490; 
died  1561.  For  list  of  Schwenkfeld  colony,  see  Pennsylvania  Archives, 
Vol.  XVII,  supra. 

10  Count  Zinzendorf,  born  1700;  died  1761.  For  list  of  Moravians,  see 
"Rupp's  Thirty  Thousand  Names." 

11  For  a  full  history  of  "The  Pennsylvania  Germans,"  see  the  splendid 
publications  of  their  Historical  Society. 

12  The  author  descends  from  this  exile ;  Vide  "The  Henkel  Memorial." 


THE  PENNSYLVANIA  GERMANS. 


21 


"prayer  circles."  A  revival  broke  out  on  his  charge  and  he  was 
suspended  for  conducting  such  "disorders."  Several  other  Pietistic 
co-laborers  were  suspended  at  the  same  time.  These  facts  sharply 
emphasize  our  statements  in  another  connection  regarding  ''High" 
and  "Low"  church  life  of  the  Protestant  faith.  Gulden  was  not 
very  active  in  a  ministerial  capacity  in  Pennsylvania.  For  many 
years  the  Reformed  people  had  only  a  few  lay  evangelists  to 
minister  to  their  spiritual  needs. 

When  Rev.  Henry  Melchior  Muhlenberg^^  was  sent  to  Penn- 
sylvania to  organize  the  Lutheran  Church,  in  1742,  there  were 
only  a  few  active  ministers  of  that  faith  in  the  Province.  When 
he  organized  the  Lutheran  Synod,  in  1748,  there  were  only  eleven 
regular  Lutheran  pastors  in  America.  . 

Rev.  Michael  Schlatter  was  sent  from  Switzerland,  in  1746, 
to  organize  the  Reformed  Church,  and  when,  a  year  later,  he 
organized  the  Coetus  or  Synod,  there  were  present  thirty-one 
delegates,  of  whom  only  four  were  ministers  of  the  Gospel. 

In  addition  to  what  has  been  said,  the  appalling  dearth  of 
German  ministers  in  the  Province  will  further  appear  in  the 
following  statement:  In  1759,  Dr.  William  White,  Provost  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  made  a  religious  census  of  the 
Province  for  the  use  of  the  Primate  of  the  Church  of  England. 
In  his  report  he  says  the  Lutheran  membership  is  about  thirty- 
five  thousand,  and  that  of  the  Reformed  about  thirty  thousand. 
This  does  not  include  the  thousands  of  Germans  in  the  South. 
One  of  the  greatest  evils  of  the  times  was  the  fact  that  a  number 
of  immoral  and  irresponsible  ministers,  who  had  left  the  Father- 
land under  a  cloud,  imposed  themselves  on  congregations,  as 
wolves  in  sheep's  clothing.  They  held  aloof  from  Synodical  or- 
ganizations and  therefore  could  not  be  disciplined  for  drunken- 
ness and  other  immoralities.  The  "Church,"  nevertheless,  had 
to  bear  the  blame.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  poor  Germans  sank 
into  the  darkness  of  a  spiritual  night  from  which  nothing  but  the 
mighty  power  of  a  Divine  visitation  could  rescue  them  ? 

Notwithstanding  this  sad  spiritual  declension,  a  mighty,  holy 

13  H.  M.  Muhlenberg  was  born  171 1,  died  1787.  He  was  sent  to  America 
by  the  Church  authorities  of  Halle. 


22 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


leaven  was  still  working  toward  a  reformation.  The  spirit  of 
the  old  Pietists  was  not  dead,  but  gaining  new  ground  under  the 
leadership  of  holy  and  consecrated  men.  The  prayers  and  tears 
of  our  exiled  forefathers,  who  "suffered  the  loss  of  all  things" 
for  Christ,  were  honored  of  God  in  the  great  spiritual  uplifting 
of  their  posterity  in  America.  To  this  brighter  chapter  we  now 
direct  out  attention,  and  note  the  unfoldings  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence— blessed  harbingers  of  better  days,  the  realization  of  hopes 
long  deferred. 


Albright's  farm. 


CHAPTER  II. 


Early  Life  of  Albright. 

Birth  of  Albright — A  patriot — Marriage  and  removal  to  Lancaster  County 
— His  great  bereavement — Rev.  Anthony  Houtz — His  conversion — Be- 
comes a  Methodist — Bxhorter — Evangelist — His  status  as  a  minister — 
His  personal  characteristics — Eloquent,  Methodical — Apostolic  seal — 
His  care  for  the  brethren. 

THE  Rev.  Jacob  Albright,  founder  of  the  Evangelical  Asso- 
ciation, was  born  in  Douglass  Township,  Berks  County,  Pa., 
May  I,  1759.  He  was  the  son  of  John  Albright,  born  in  the 
Palatinate,  Germany.  The  family  adhered  to  the  Lutheran  faith 
and  were  members  of  the  church  at  New  Hanover,  but  some  time 
prior  to  the  Revolution  became  members  of  the  church  at  Potts- 
town.  The  family  records  are  to  be  found  in  both  these  churches. 
At  the  time  their  son  Jacob  was  born,  the  parents  lived  on  a 
small  farm  on  Fox  Hill,  a  few  miles  north  of  Pottstown,  where 
the  son  spent  his  boyhood  days. 

The  early  years  of  Jacob  Albright  were  uneventful,  and  we 
know  nothing  of  interest  concerning  him  until  the  dark  days  of 
the  Revolution,  when  he  was  growing  into  manhood.  As  his 
parental  home  was  within  easy  hearing  of  the  battle  sound  of 
Brandywine  and  Germantown,  in  his  own  native  state,  we  may 
well  imagine  how  this  young  heart  was  stirred  within  him. 
Within  sight  of  the  rocky  hill  on  which  he  was  reared  occurred  the 
movements  of  the  smitten  and  bleeding  Continental  Army  under 
Washington.  The  church  of  his  fathers  at  New  Hanover^  was 
converted  into  a  hospital  for  the  wounded  of  Brandywine  and 
Paoli.  Within  a  few  hours'  ride  from  his  home  was  Valley 
Forge  with  its  scenes  of  sufferings  and  sad  memories. 

With  such  stirring  events  occurring  all  around  him,  the  youth- 

I  This  church,  erected  in  1767,  is  still  standing  in  good  condition  (1916). 
It  is  built  of  stone  and  is  a  large,  magnificent  structure. 


23 


24 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


ful  Albright  could  not  be  expected  to  be  passive.  Hence  we  find 
him  enrolled  as  the  drummer  of  Captain  John  Witz's  company 
of  Berks  County  militia.^  This  company  was  composed  mostly  of 
young  men  from  Pottstown  and  vicinity.  The  part  taken  by  the 
Pennsylvania  militia  was  most  honorable.  They  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Brandywine  and  Germantown,  and  although  they  were 
only  supposed  to  do  duty  in  defense  of  the  state,  several  of  the 
Berks  County  battalions  of  militia  participated  in  the  New  Jersey 
campaign.  Toward  the  close  of  the  war  we  find  Albright  in  a 
detachment  under  Sergeant  Eisenbiss,  detailed  to  guard  British 
prisoners  of  war  at  Reading. 

In  the  year  1785  Albright  was  married  to  Catharine  Cope, 
who  came  from  an  old  and  highly  respectable  family  in  Chester 
County,  with  whom  he  had  six  children,  three  of  whom  died  in 
infancy.  His  occupation  was  that  of  a  tile  maker,  which  was 
then  a  good  business,  as  the  use  of  tiles  for  roofing  was  then 
quite  common.  A  few  years  after  his  marriage  he  removed  to 
Earl  Township,  Lancaster  County,  where  he  had  purchased  a 
small  farm  on  which  was  a  good  deposit  of  lime  and  clay.  Here 
he  applied  himself  industriously  to  develop  the  resources  of  his 
property,  producing  bricks,  lime,  and  tiles,  besides  tilling  his  land. 
He  had  ready  sale  for  his  products  and  became  quite  prosperous, 
so  that  at  his  death  his  estate  was  valued  at  four  thousand  dollars, 
which  was  a  respectable  competence  at  that  day. 

The  community  in  which  Albright  now  lived  was  far  better, 
in  many  respects,  than  his  old  home.  The  Reformed  evangelists, 
Otterbein,  Houtz,  and  others,  as  also  the  Methodists,  had  pene- 
trated this  region  long  before  his  settlement  there.  A  Methodist 
class  had  been  formed  in  his  immediate  neighborhood.  The 
United  Brethren  had  likewise  gained  a  following  there.  Two 
individuals  of  this  community  call  for  special  mention  in  this 
connection — Isaac  Davis,  a  lay  preacher  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  whose  farm  adjoined  that  of  Albright,  and  Adam 
Riegel,  a  lay  minister  of  the  United  Brethren,  who  also  lived  in 
this  vicinity.  We  shall  meet  these  good  men  again  in  our  story. 

Soon  after  1790  occurred  an  event  of  far-reaching  importance  # 

2  See  Pennsylvania  Archives   (Fifth  Series),  Vol.  II,  p.  292;  also 
"Perkiomen  Region,  Past  and  Present,"  Vol.  Ill,  p.  68. 


EARLY  LIFE  OF  ALBRIGHT. 


25 


in  the  life  of  Albright.  During  an  epidemic  of  dysentery  sev- 
eral of  his  children  died,  and  this  affliction  marked  a  turning  point 
in  his  life.  He  was  greatly  distressed  at  the  loss  of  his  children, 
but  in  the  providence  of  God  what  seemed  at  first  a  great  personal 
calamity  eventuated  in  a  great  blessing  to  himself  and  indirectly 
in  the  founding  of  an  evangelistic  agency  that  has  been  the  means 
of  salvation  to  many  thousands  of  souls.  The  circumstances  that 
proved  to  be  the  turning  point  of  Albright's  life  are  as  follows: 
A  few  years  previous  to  this  event  the  Reformed  Synod  had 
ordained  to  the  ministry  a  godly  young  man  named  Anthony 
Houtz,  who  in  1787  had  charge  of  several  churches  in  Dauphin 
County,  one  of  which  was  at  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  then  a  mere  vil- 
lage. A  few  years  later  he  removed  to  that  place  and  was  the 
first  resident  pastor  in  the  future  capital  of  Pennsylvania. 
Houtz  was  a  very  spiritual  man  and  of  the  evangelistic  type. 
We  find  him  often  associated  with  the  evangelists  of  that  period. 
Bishop  Newcomer,  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  frequently 
mentions  him  in  his  journal.  At  the  time  of  Albright's  affliction 
Houtz  was  on  an  evangelistic  tour  in  that  neighborhood  and  was 
engaged  by  Albright  to  conduct  the  funeral  services  for  his 
children. 

Strange  are  the  ways  of  Providence !  God  had  a  great  work 
for  Albright  to  do.  To  prepare  him  for  his  mission  He  first 
humbled  him  by  bereavement,  and  made  him  to  see  his  own 
miserable  spiritual  condition.  Then,  by  the  same  Divine  power, 
the  right  man  was  sent  with  the  right  message  for  the  afflicted 
man.^  It  was  through  the  preaching  of  Houtz  that  Albright 
discovered  the  fallacy  of  his  hope  of  salvation.  Hitherto  his  de- 
pendence had  been  on  the  outward  observance  of  the  ordinances 
of  the  Church,  and  his  worthiness  as  a  good  Church  member.* 
Through  the  preaching  of  Houtz  he  was  led  to  see  that  Jesus 
alone  is  the  source  of  our  salvation,  and  a  personal  knowledge  of 
Him  and  a  constant  abiding  in  Him  the  only  source  of  a  true 

3  See  Dreisbach's  reply  to  Prof.  H.  G.  Spayth,  in  "Evangelical  Mes- 
senger," 1855. 

4  By  a  personal  examination  of  the  "Berg  Strass"  Lutheran  church 
record,  the  author  found  that  Albright  and  wife  were  communicant  mem- 
bers of  that  church  as  late  as  the  spring  of  1791. 


26 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


Christian  experience  and  assurance  of  salvation.  (John  15:1- 
II.)  This  discovery  led  him  into  a  still  deeper  sorrow,  but  it 
was  that  "godly  sorrow  that  needeth  not  be  repented  of"  (2 
Cor.  7:  10).  He  accordingly  determined  to  leave  the  realm  of 
"dead  works"  and  seek  ''the  kingdom  of  God  (which)  is  not 
meat  and  drink,  but  righteousness,  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
Ghost"  (Rom.  14:  17).^  Long  and  earnest  was  his  struggle  to 
gain  the  light  of  saving  truth.  His  spiritual  neighbors,  Davis 
and  Riegel,  now  came  to  his  assistance.  The  latter  especially 
was  helpful  to  him,  and  it  was  at  a  meeting  in  Riegel's  house 
that  Albright  gained  a  clear  assurance  of  the  Divine  favor. 

Because  of  the  spiritual  deadness  of  the  old  German  churches 
of  that  day,  it  was  out  of  the  question  for  Albright  to  remain 
within  the  communion  of  his  fathers.  He  now  lived  in  the  con- 
scious experience  of  a  new  and  spiritual  life,  and  the  services 
of  the  dead  and  formal  churches  did  not  afford  him  the  soul- 
nourishment  for  which  he  longed.  Although  the  religious  serv- 
ices of  the  Methodists  were  almost  entirely  in  the  English  lan- 
guage, and  Albright  was  German,  yet  he  found  their  mode  of 
worship  sufficiently  congenial  to  cast  his  lot  among  them  and 
unite  with  the  class  of  which  his  friend  and  neighbor,  Isaac 
Davis,^  was  the  leader. 

5  Rev.  Anthony  Houtz,  the  spiritual  father  of  Albright,  was  born  in 
Germany  in  1758,  ordained  to  the  Reformed  ministry  in  1787,  and  died  at 
Groton,  Tompkins  County,  New  York,  in  1830.  He  was  one  of  that  noble 
band  of  Reformed  ministers  who,  instead  of  leaving  the  Church  of  his 
fathers,  carried  on  his  evangelistic  mission  despite  the  opposition  of  the 
formalistic  element  of  his  denomination.  In  view  of  the  far-reaching  in- 
fluence of  the  little  group  of  Pietistic  ministers  within  her  fold  in  the  early 
day,  the  Reformed  Church  may  well  claim  a  good  share  of  the  evangelistic 
influence  that  refreshed  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Church  in  general  a  cen- 
tury or  more  ago. 

6  Rev.  Isaac  Davis  was  born  in  1754,  and  came  from  an  old  Welsh 
family  that  came  to  Pennsylvania  in  the  days  of  Penn.  Davis  was  closely 
associated  with  Albright  in  his  evangelistic  work,  and  was  an  attendant  at 
their  "General"  meetings.  Davis  later  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Sunbury, 
where  he  died  in  1843.  He  had  a  family  that  became  "Evangelical."  His 
son  David,  born  1803,  died  1876,  had  four  sons  who  were  Evangelical  min- 
isters, all  licensed  by  the  Central  Pa.  Conference  of  the  Evangelical  As- 
sociation. 


EARLY  LIFE  OF  ALBRIGHT. 


27 


The  events  we  are  now  recording  occurred  in  1791,  during  a 
period  of  great  religious  interest  in  that  community.  The  revival 
spirit  broke  out  also  among  the  Mennonites,  of  whom  there  were 
many  in  that  locality,  and  a  number  of  their  converts  soon  be- 
came evangelists,  and  later  were  active  in  the  United  Brethren 
work.  Of  this  number  were  Abraham  and  Christian  Hershey 
and  Christopher  Grosh.  Thus  we  see  the  revival  fires  kindled 
among  the  Germans  in  Albright's  locality,  and  while  he  shared  in 
the  same  spirit  he  evidently  did  not  approve  of  the  form  the  work 
was  assuming,  as  we  shall  see  in  another  connection.  Method- 
ism was  evidently  in  keeping  with  Albright's  habits  as  well  as  his 
spiritual  ideals,  because  he  was  naturally  methodical.  He  evi- 
dently improved  his  talents  tO'  the  fullest  extent  of  his  opportuni- 
ties, for  soon  after  his  connection  with  the  Methodist  class  he 
was  made  an  exhorter,  which  was  then  a  stepping  stone  to  that  of 
local  preacher.  In  the  United  Brethren  movement  the  office  of 
exhorter  Was  sub-ministerial. 

We  have  noted  that  some  of  Albright's  neighbors,  Davis, 
Riegel,  Grosh  and  the  Hershey  brothers,  were  local  preachers. 
Even  then  they  made  frequent  tours  from  home  in  evangelistic 
service.  Why  should  not  he?  The  great  mass  of  his  German 
countrymen  lay  in  a  state  of  spiritual  darkness.  Why  should 
not  he  devote  his  life  for  their  uplift?  Thus  we  see  how  his 
environment  as  well  as  his  temperament  worked  toward  bringing 
about  his  great  life  purpose,  namely,  to  be  herald  of  the  Cross 
to  his,  benighted  countrymen. 

Albright  as  a  Minister  o£  the  Gospel. — ^As  the  founder  of  a 
distinct  ecclesiastical  body,  the  manner  in  which  Jacob  Albright 
was  led  into  the  field  of  independent  evangelism  forms  an  inter- 
esting chapter  of  Christian  experience.  Like  many  other  leaders 
of  great  religious  movements,  his  work  was  the  result  of  a  tre- 
mendous burden  for  souls.  To  him  was  given  the  choice  between 
the  sorrow  of  the  rejection  of  the  call,  or  the  joy  of  the  Divine 
favor  in  its  acceptance,  (i  Cor.  9:  16.)  In  his  brief  auto- 
biography, preserved  by  his  co-laborer,  Geo.  Miller,^  he  relates 
both  the  manner  of  his  call  and  also^  its  specific  character,  namely, 
to  preach  experimental  religion  to  his  neglected  fellow  Germans. 

7  "Albrecht  und  Miller,"  p.  16. 


28 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


It  is  really  on  the  special  character  of  his  mission  that  his  inde- 
pendent organization  was  founded,  and  in  its  necessity  lies  the 
apology  (if  any  were  needed)  for  the  separate  existence  of  his 
work.  It  was  only  after  many  months  of  sore  and  distressing 
travail  of  soul,  so  intense  that  it  made  him  a  physical  wreck,  that 
he  saw  the  leadings  of  God's  hand  in  the  matter  and  yielded  to 
the  call. 

Relating  his  experiences,  Albright  says :  "I  was  pervaded  with 
a  burning  love  toward  God  and  His  children  and  all  mankind.  It 
was  this  love  which  the  grace  of  God  shed  in  my  heart  that  led 
me  to  see  the  great  decline  of  experimental  religion  among  the 
German  nation  in  America.  I  felt  for  them.  I  saw  in  them  my 
brethren  and  sincerely  wished  them  the  happiness  that  was  mine. 
With  such  feelings  I  often  fell  upon  my  knees  and  with  burning 
tears  besought  God  that  He  would  lead  my  German  brethren 
into  the  way  of  truth,  and  that  they  might  have  pure  and  ex- 
emplary teachers,  who  would  preach  the  gospel  in  its  power,  that 
the  dead  and  sleeping  professors  of  religion  might  be  aroused 
from  their  sleep  of  sin  and  brought  to  a  true  life  of  godliness, 
so  that  they  might  be  also  partakers  of  the  blessed  peace  with 
God  and  the  fellowship  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  In  this  manner  I 
continued  my  supplication  daily  for  the  welfare  of  my  brethren. 
As  I  thus  held  intercourse  with  God  it  suddenly  became  light 
within  my  soul.  I  heard  a  voice  say  within  me :  Was  it  by  mere 
chance  that  the  miserable  condition  of  your  erring  brethren 
pressed  so  heavily  on  your  heart?  Was  it  only  a  coincidence  that 
your  heart  was  overburdened  with  sympathy  for  your  brethren? 
Is  not  this  the  visible  hand  of  Him  who  guides  not  only  the  des- 
tinies of  nations  but  also  that  of  the  individual?  How  if  His 
unending  love,  which  seeks  to  lead  every  soul  into  Abraham's 
bosom,  has  chosen  you  to  lead  your  brethren  into  the  path  of 
knowledge  and  prepare  them  to  be  partakers  of  God's  mercy?' 

"In  my  soul  it  became  brighter  and  brighter,  and  I  realized  in 
holy  confidence  that  my  prayers  were  heard.  I  also  heard  the 
command  of  God :  'Go  out  and  work  in  My  vineyard.  Proclaim 
to  My  children  the  Gospel  in  its  primitive  purity,  with  emphasis 
and  power,  and  confide  in  my  paternal  love  that  all  who  hear 
and  believe  shall  be  partakers  of  my  grace.'  " 


EARLY  LIFE  OF  ALBRIGHT. 


29 


Instead  of  at  once  obeying  this  clear  and  unmistakable  call, 
Albright  permitted  himself  to  be  overcome  by  a  temporizing 
spirit.  His  want  of  ministerial  equipment  brought  him  betimes 
to  the  verge  of  despair.  This  mighty  struggle,  in  which  his  soul 
swung  like  a  pendulum  between  hope  and  fear,  light  and  dark- 
ness, joy  and  sorrow,  grew  in  intensity  from  day  to  day  and  soon 
made  sad  inroads  on  his  health.  He  was^  seized  with  a  constant 
and  burning  pain  that  affected  his  entire  nervous  system.  His 
body  became  so  weakened  that  he  could  no  longer  do  manual 
labor.  What  he  experienced  while  in  this  condition,  he  says,  was 
indescribable.  There  were  times  when  he  imagined  himself  utterly 
forsaken  of  God,  at  which  times  he  cried  out  in  terrible  agony 
and  despair.  Eventually  he  was  led  to  see  that  his  deplorable 
condition  was  wholly  the  result  of  his  resistance  to  the  Divine 
call,  and  that  the  path  to  health  lay  in  the  direction  of  a  complete 
surrender  to  the  will  of  God.  Measuring  the  future  by  the  past, 
he  knew  full  well  that  God's  stern  displeasure  was  the  penalty  of 
his  disobedience;  while  an  inward  peace  and  God's  constant 
blessing  would  be  the  reward  of  obedience.  He  now  betook  him- 
self anew  to  God  in  prayer,  imploring  forgiveness  for  his  pre- 
sumptuous disobedience,  and  solemly  vowed  that  if  it  pleased 
God  to  again  restore  him  to  health  of  soul  and  body  he  would 
immediately  comply  with  His  will  and  give  himself  wholly  and 
unreservedly  to  the  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry. 

Scarcely  had  he  made  this  resolution,  when  the  awful  gloom 
that  had  settled  upon  his  soul  was  changed  to  sunshine.  The 
heavy  burden  rolled  from  his  spirit  and  "the  peace  of  God  that 
passeth  all  understanding,"  again  flooded  his  soul.  With  tran- 
quility of  mind  and  soul  restored,  came  also  gradually  the  im- 
provement of  his  bodily  health.  Upon  this  he  at  once  arranged 
his  temporal  affairs  with  a  view  of  prolonged  absence  from  home, 
because  of  his  prospective  tours  as  an  evangelist. 

It  is  impossible  to  say  in  what  year  these  great  struggles  in 
the  experience  of  Albright  took  place,  but  they  probably  occurred 
in  1795.  As  elsewhere  related,  Albright  soon  after  his  conver- 
sion united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  was  soon 
afterwards  given  exhorter's  license,  which  was  his  authority  to 
exercise  his  gifts  as  a  lay  minister.   The  period  of  this  relationship 


30 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  in  1795,  during  which 
time  he  developed  the  evangelistic  spirit,  and,  as  said,  probably 
marks  the  period  of  his  great  spiritual  conflict.  It  is  a  matter 
of  record  that  he  entered  the  evangelistic  field  in  the  month  of 
October,  1796.  From  this  date  we  find  no  further  connection 
between  him  and  the  Church  mentioned,  for  the  reason  that  his 
activities  were  given  to  the  Germans  exclusively,  a  field  into 
which  the  IMethodists  had  not  yet  extensively  entered. 

It  seems  proper  in  this  connection  to  discuss  the  distinctive  mis- 
sion of  Albright.  From  what  we  have  already  given  it  is  mani- 
fest that  his  call  to  preach  experimental  religion  to  the  neglected 
Germans  came  to  him  as  a  clear  and  wxll-defined  revelation  to 
his  soul.  This  fact  not  only  controlled  his  own  labors,  but  also 
dominated  the  polity  of  his  following  until  the  General  Confer- 
ence of  1843.  It  is  because  of  the  distinctiveness  of  this  call  that 
the  followers  of  Albright  justified  their  existence  as  a  separate 
ecclesiastical  organization.^  It  is  a  matter  of  record  that  Bishop 
Francis  Asbury,  then  the  head  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  did  not  then  favor  a  separate  branch  of  evangelistic 
work  for  the  Germans,  and  in  1810  rejected  a  proposition  by 
Rev.  John  Dreisbach  that  the  Evangelicals  should  continue  their 
distinctive  work  among  the  Germans  as  an  integral  part  of  the 
Methodist  body,  by  declaring  the  plan  "impractical."^  Asbury, 
while  shaping  the  polity  of  his  Church  along  non-nativistic  lines 
(a  course  which  his  Church  reversed  soon  after  his  death),  never- 
theless saw  its  necessity  earlier  in  life.  In  his  Journal  of  1758, 
he  records  a  meeting  with  Rev.  William,  Otterbein,  the  founder 
of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  for  the  planning  of  a  scheme  to 
evangelize  the  Germans. This  was  before  the  organization  of 
the  United  Brethren  conference.  In  the  light  of  later  develop- 
ments we  are  not  sure  that  the  bishop  regarded  that  work  with 
any  greater  favor  than  that  of  Albright.    In  fact  the  futile  at- 

8  See  "Evangelical  Annals,"  p.  170. 

9  Ibid,  p.  171. 

10  "Sunday,  June  5th,  I  called  on  Mr.  Otterbein.  We  had  some  free 
conversation  on  the  necessity  of  forming  a  church  among  the  Dutch  (Ger- 
mans), holding  conferences,  the  order  of  its  government,"  etc.  Asbury's 
Journal,  p.  398. 


EARLY  LIFE  OF  ALBRIGHT. 


31 


tempts  of  Bishop  Newcomer  to  connect  the  United  Brethren 
movement  with  that  of  the  Methodists,  confirms  this  view.^^ 

The  status  of  Albright  as  an  evangelist  may  next  claim  our 
attention.  The  office  of  an  evangelist  has  from  time  immemorial 
been  considered  as  only  a  function  of  the  ministerial  office.  In 
other  words,  all  ministers  are  supposed  to  exercise  the  office  of 
evangelist,  but  not  all  evangelists  are  supposed  to  exercise  the 
full  office  of  a  minister.  There  are  various  kinds  of  evangelists. 
Some  are  singing  evangelists  like  Ira  D.  Sankey,  P.  P.  Bliss 
and  many  others.  Some  are  praying  evangelists,  while  others, 
like  D.  L.  Moody,  preach  the  Word.  Very  many  of  the  most 
useful  and  effective  workers  in  the  evangelistic  field  do  not  as- 
sume the  full  functions  of  the  ministerial  office. 

In  the  light  of  these  well  known  facts  Albright's  entrance  into 
the  field  of  evangelism  becomes  plain.  We  have  already  noted 
that  he  was  granted  license  as  an  exhorter,  which  at  that  time 
practically  constituted  him  a  lay  preacher.  There  was  little  dif- 
ference, (if  any),  at  that  time  between  the  exhorter  and  the  local 
preacher.  Among  the  United  Brethren  the  office  of  exhorter  was 
from  the  beginning  the  same  as  that  known  later  as  local 
preacher,  and  the  licenses  of  exhorters  were  given  by  the  annual 
instead  of  the  quarterly  conferences,  as  in  the  Methodist  con- 
nection.^^ 

It  seems  clear  that  when  Albright  started  out  on  his  evangel- 
istic tours  he  did  not  transcend  the  functions  authorized  by  the 
Methodist  quarterly  conference,  and  doubtless  labored  in  har- 
mony with  the  same  until  the  enlargement  of  his  work  called  for 
the  fuller  exercise  of  the  ministerial  office,  such  as  the  adminis- 
tration of  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.  We  have  no  evidence 
that  he  exercised  the  full  functions  of  the  ministry  until  his  ordi- 
nation on  November  5,  1803,  after  which  he  exercised  all  min- 
isterial functions  freely.^^ 

11  Vide  "Newcomer's  Journal,"  1809. 

12  Vide  "Berger's  History  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,"  conference 
proceedings  of  1802,  p.  170,  "Resolved  to  give  Valentine  Huegel  license  to 
exhort;"  "Brother  Miller  obtained  license  from  the  conference  to  exhort." 
At  the  conference  of  1813,  four  persons  were  licensed  "to  exhort,"  p.  128. 

13  In  November,  1803,  he  baptized  Michael,  son  of  Abraham  Ream,  of 
Centre  County,  Pa.,  who  became  the  ancestor  of  an  honored  Evangelical 


32 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


We  have  but  few  literary  remains  of  Albright  from  which  to 
form  an  intelligent  opinion  as  to  his  preaching  abilities.  But 
from  the  brief  sketch  of  his  life  by  his  co-laborer,  Rev.  George 
Miller,  we  are  able  to  get  a  glimpse  of  his  well-rounded  mentality 
and  powers  as  a  public  speaker.  Then,  too,  from  lips  now  long 
sealed  in  death,  we  have  heard  his  sermons  extolled  and  his  man- 
ner described,  so  as  to  enable  us  to  make  a  fair  estimate  of  his 
character  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel.  He  was  a  most  persistent 
student  of  the  Bible  and  hence  was  "mighty  in  the  Scriptures." 
His  sermons  were  methodical,  convincing  and  conclusive.  He 
was  calm  and  deliberate  in  his  introductions,  somewhat  argu- 
mentative and  remonstrant,  and  never  failed  to  make  strong  ap- 
plications of  the  truth,  and  often  with  great  eloquence  and  power. 
While  he  lacked  the  emotional  eloquence  of  his  spiritual  son, 
Rev.  John  Walter,  he  possessed  a  tenderness  of  feeling  and  ear- 
nestness of  spirit  which  are  of  themselves  unfailing  springs  of 
true  eloquence,  because  they  reach  the  deeper  chambers  of  the 
soul  that  lie  beyond  the  range  of  mere  emotion.  These  ele- 
ments of  his  pulpit  powers  Albright  himself  unwittingly  brings 
to  the  light  when  he  says^*  "By  nature  I  had  no  talent  for  speak- 
ing and  must  confess  that  in  this  particular  I  had  less  aptitude 
than  any  one  else  that  ever  rose  up  to  speak.  However,  when  I 
was  impelled  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  when  through  prayer  my  soul 
was  brought  nearer  to  my  Redeemer,  when  I  burned  with  a  horror 
for  sin,  when  the  righteousness  of  a  through-searching  judge  stood 
before  my  eyes,  and  at  the  same  time  His  overwhelming  love 
towards  His  fallen  creatures  appeared,  I  was  seized  with  a  holy 
animation  that  opened  my  mouth  so  that  with  holy  eloquence  the 
message  of  God's  grace  streamed  from  my  lips  to  the  conversion 
of  the  unsaved  and  the  edification  of  believers." 

The  late  John  Rank  was  wont  to  relate  that  in  the  spring  of 
1805  he,  in  company  with  others,  rode  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles 

posterity,  among  whom  is  Prof.  A.  E.  Gobble,  president  of  Central  Penn- 
sylvania College,  and  later  a  member  of  the  Faculty  of  Albright  College. 
Albright  also  baptized,  in  1803,  Mary,  the  daughter  of  Benjamin  Stroh,  of 
Dauphin  County.  She  married  George  Gipple,  removed  to  Iowa  in  1852, 
where  Gipple  and  a  few  others  built  the  first  Evangelical  church  in  that 
state.  (Evangelical  Annals,  p.  319.) 
14  "Albrecht  und  Miller,"  p.  15. 


EARLY  LIFE  OF  ALBRIGHT. 


33 


to  hear  Albright  preach  in  the  old  Saint  EHas  church  at  Mifflin- 
burg,  Pa.  Albright  was  accompanied  by  his  co-laborers,  Wal- 
ter and  Miller.  The  church  was  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity. 
The  sermon  by  Albright  was  of  great  power  and  tenderness,  and 
the  people  were  very  deeply  affected  thereby.  There  was  weep- 
ing all  through  the  assembly  and  a  great  many  fell  upon  their 
knees  and  prayed  for  salvation.^®  The  companions  of  Rank 
were  so  wrought  upon  that  they  fled  from  the  church.  Rev. 
George  Miller,  Albright's  spiritual  son  and  successor,  in  de- 
scribing his  conversion  says  that  he  first  heard  Albright  preach 
in  the  year  1798  in  Schuylkill  County.  His  text  was,  "Thus  saith 
the  Lord:  behold  I  set  before  you  the  way  of  life  and  the  way 
of  death"  (Jer.  21:8).  The  discourse  impressed  Miller  so 
powerfully  that  he  says  he  would  have  sunk  to  the  floor  had  he 
not  held  fast  to  a  table  beside  him.  Miller  also  writes  about  a 
meeting  held  on  Easter  day  in  1803,  at  the  home  of  his  brother, 
Solomon  Miller,  when  Albright  preached  with  such  great  power 
that  many  fled  with  fear  and  trembling  from  the  house.  They 
could  not,  however,  shake  off  the  deep  conviction  for  sin  that  had 
seized  them,  but  sought  the  Lord  in  the  pardon  of  their  sins, 
while  those  who  remained  in  the  house  fell  on  the  floor  in  deep 
penitential  agony,  so  that  a  mighty  victory  was'  achieved.^® 

As  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  Albright  sought  to  practice  in  his 
own  life  the  doctrines  he  preached.  Hence  we  see  consistency  to 
have  been  one  of  his  many  excellent  traits.  He  preached  holiness 
oif  heart  and  purity  of  life,  and  fearlessly  assailed  the  use  of 
tobacco  and  strong  drinks — twin  evils  which  in  his  day  were 
seldom  made  the  subject  of  pulpit  utterance.  These  facts  show 
that  he  had  advanced  views  of  personal  religion,  and  had  the 
courage  to  denounce  all  evil  regardless  of  consequences.^''  Al- 
bright's relations  with  coworkers  were  always  most  cordial,  and 
we  know  not  that  he  ever  had  a  misunderstanding  or  disagree- 
ment with  any  of  them.   On  the  contrary,  he  exercised  a  tender 

15  John  Rank,  Esq.,  was  born  1784,  in  Lancaster  County;  died  in  1878. 
The  discourse  impressed  Rank  so  powerfully  that  he  says  he  would  have 
fallen  to  the  floor  had  he  not  supported  himself. 

16  "Albrecht  und  Miller,"  p.  104. 

17  "Chr.  Botschafter,"  1842,  p.  141. 

3 


34 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


and  care-taking  paternalism  toward  them.  The  following  inci- 
dent is  illustrative  of  his  deep  solicitude  for  his  colleagues : 

Rev.  George  Miller  relates^^  that  during  the  first  year  of  his 
active  ministry  (1805),  in  consequence  of  ill  health  he  became 
greatly  discouraged  and  was  planning  to  abandon  the  work  alto- 
gether, when  Albright,  who  was  at  a  distant  point,  intuitively 
surmised  that  there  was  something  wrong,  and  without  previous 
notice  from  Miller,  suddenly  came  to  see  him.  After  drawing 
from  Miller  a  statement  of  his  troubles,  he  asked  him  to  ac- 
company him  to  a  nearby  grove,  where  in  solitude  and  seclusion, 
with  no  witness  but  his  loving  Lord  Jesus,  he  solemnly  and  ten- 
derly admonished  his  faltering  co-laborer,  and  then  carried  him 
in  the  arms  of  prayer  to  a  throne  of  grace  where  timely  help  was 
obtained.  (Heb.  4:16).  The  immediate  effect  of  Albright's 
visit  was  that  Miller  was  reestablished  in  his  spiritual  life  and 
ministerial  calling,  and  never  afterwards  faltered.  May  this 
pathetic  incident  strengthen  and  confirm  many  who  read  these 
lines.  "Thou  therefore  endure  hardness,  as  a  good  soldier  of 
Jesus  Christ"  (2  Tim.  2:3). 

Albright  admonished  his  coworkers  to  be  polite  in  their  inter- 
course with  the  people,  neat  in  appearance,  and  studious  in  all 
that  pertained  to  their  holy  calling.  He  also  advised  them  to 
keep  journals  and  write  therein  their  ofiicial  acts,  experiences  and 
observations.  This  was  following  the  custom  of  the  Moravian 
ministers  of  that  day,  whose  records  became  the  property  of  the 
Church  and  now  constitute  one  of  the  greatest  historical  treasures 
of  the  Moravian  Church  in  America.  The  records  which  Al- 
bright undoubtedly  made,  as  well  as  those  of  most  of  his  co- 
laborers,  have  been  irrecoverably  lost.  Only  fragments  of  Al- 
bright's and  Miller's  journals  are  preserved  in  the  latter's  brief 
autobiography.^^  From  the  extracts  we  give,  the  reader  may  see 
how  valuable  the  full  records  would  be  to  us  at  this  time.  The 
journal  of  Rev.  John  Dreisbach,  so  far  as  known  to  the  writer, 
is  the  only  one  preserved  entire,  covering  the  period  of  his  active 
ministry. 

18  "Albrecht  und  Miller,"  p.  103. 

"Albrecht  und  Miller."  '        ,       '  • 


EARLY  LIFE  OF  ALBRIGHT. 


35 


In  order  to  promote  mutual  helpfulness  and  fidelity  in  their 
calling,  Albright  entered  into  a  written  covenant  with  his  minis- 
terial brethren,  which  was  periodically  renewed.  Of  this,  Mil- 
ler says:^*'  "Albright,  Walter  and  I  renewed  {Oct.  1806, 
Author)  in  a  condensed  document  our  covenant  and  duties,  and 
united  with  greater  earnestness  to  carry  on  God's  work.  Brother 
Albright  exhorted  Brother  Walter  and  me  to  go  forward  bravely 
and  courageously  in  the  work  begun,  and  bring  as  many  sinners 
to  Jesus  as  possible." 


20  Ibid,  p.  116. 


CHAPTER  III. 


Albright's  Work  in  Relation  to  Protestant  Faith 
and  Evangelism. 

Albright's  work  peculiar — Pietism  and  Ritualism — High  and  Low  Church 
— Vagaries  of  Mysticism — Pietism  the  Life  of  Protestantism — Pietistic 
leaders — Pietism  in  America — Albright's  work  an  outgrowth. 

THE  evangelistic  work  of  Rev.  Jacob  Albright  is  somewhat 
peculiar,  and  can  only  be  properly  understood  when  con- 
sidered in  connection  with  religious  conditions  and  evangelistic 
movements  of  his  times.  His  personal  history,  apart  from,  his 
spiritual  mission,  is  devoid  of  unusual  interest,  but  the  results  of 
his  labors  in  their  worldwide  influence  have  not  hitherto  received 
from  Church  historians  the  attention  that  their  importance  de- 
serves. 

For  many  years  it  was  the  custom  of  the  old  German  writers 
to  denounce  Albright  as  a  heretic  and  his  followers  as  misguided 
fanatics.  Ministers  publicly  warned  their  congregations  against 
the  ''Albrights"  as  a  reprobate  and  dangerous  class,  and  even 
refused  sepulture  to  their  dead  in  the  old  God's-acre  of  their 
fathers.  Even  the  spiritual  and  evangelistic  labors  of  the  min- 
isters of  the  old  Church  bodies  (the  number  of  these  was  small 
indeed),  were  decried  as  fanatical  and  unchurchly,  and  the  min- 
isters rebuked  as  irregular.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  the 
spiritual  or  Pietistic  elements  of  the  old  churches  gravitated  to- 
ward separation.  Owing  to  the  spiritual  deadness  of  these 
churches  it  was  difficult  for  their  leaders  to  read  the  signs  of  the 
times  in  the  spiritual  awakenings  among  them,  especially  such  as 
occurred  under  the  labors  of  Dr.  William  Otterbein,  Anthony 
Houtz,  John  G.  Pfrimmer,  Adam  Ettinger,  and  George  Adam 
Gueting,  all  members  of  the  Reformed  Church.  It  is  a  sad  fact 
to  contemplate  that  this  Church,  so  pure  in  Evangelical  doctrine 
and  so  steadfast  in  the  faith  in  Reformation  times,  her  sons  the 

36 


RELATION  TO  PROTESTANT  FAITH  AND  EVANGELISM.  37 


pioneers  of  evangelism  among  the  Germans  of  America,  should 
in  the  end  fail  to  gather  her  fruitage  because  it  represented  a 
somewhat  different  type  from  that'  so  commonly  prevalent. 

It  was  this  open  antagonism'  of  the  old  Churches  against  evan- 
gelistic effort  that  caused  these  latter  elements  to  crystallize  into 
Separatism.  Furthermore,  the  very  result  of  this  opposition  was 
then  decried  as  "Antichrist,  or  the  Spirit  of  Sect  and  Schism."^ 
In  1850  appeared  a  book  bitterly  assailing  all  evangelistic  ''sects," 
written  by  a  minister  of  the  Church  which  has  the  strongest  claim 
of  patronage  to  the  German  evangelistic  work  in  Pennsylvania. 
In  this  book  the  author  ungraciously  placed  "The  Albrights" 
on  a  level  with  Joseph  Smith,  the  founder  of  Mormonism.^ 

Had  these  critics  taken  the  trouble  to  investigate,  they  would 
have  found  that  the  "Albrights"  in  their  formative  period  placed 
themselves  upon  a  creed  of  the  Reformation ;  that  there  was  no 
material  doctrinal  difference  between  the  "Albright"  faith  and 
their  own  ;  that  the  only  difference  was  one  of  Church  polity 
and  a  spiritual  cultus  recognized  and  practiced  by  the  Church  of 
the  critics  centuries  before  the  modern  evangelists,  like  Otter- 
bein  and  Albright,  sought  to  reestablish  it  in  its  original  char- 
acter, and  which  is  as  old  as  the  Christian  faith  itself.  These 
indubitable  facts  afford  us  both  the  grounds  and  motive,  from  an 
ecclesiastical  standpoint,  for  the  independent  evangelistic  labors 
of  Albright  as  well  as  other  evangelists  of  his  time. 

The  Protestant  Faith:  Pietism  and  Ritualism.— The  life 
and  work  of  Albright  constitutes  a  bright  and  notable  chapter 
in  the  history  of  a  secondary  Reformation  in  the  Protestant 
Church  that  has  continued  as  a  mighty  spiritual  leaven  to  the 
present  time,  and  has  profoundly  influenced  the  Christian  Church. 
It  is  this  great  spiritual  impetus  that  has  given  birth  to  modern 
missions,  interdenominational  work,  and  cooperative  evangelism. 

The  following  panoramic  view  of  the  working  of  the  evangel- 
istic forces  of  which  Albright  and  his  contemporaries  were  a  con- 
stituent part,  will  enable  the  reader  to  understand  what  other- 
wise would  be  unintelligible.   The  great  Reformation  of  the  Fif- 

1  Title  of  a  book  published  by  Prof.  J.  W.  Nevin  (New  York,  1848). 

2  "Ein  Ernstes  Wert  uber  Secten  Geist  und  Secten  Wesen."  Title  of 
book  by  Rev.  J.  W.  Reber,  Chamber sburg,  Pa.,  1850. 


I 


38  A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 

teenth  Century,  under  Luther,  Calvin,  Zwingli  and  others,  had 
for  its  primary  object  the  rescue  of  Christian  doctrine  from 
Popish  error  by  which  the  truth  of  God  was  subverted.  This  was 
necessary  for  the  attainment  of  the  purpose  for  which  the  gospel 
was  given,  namely,  the  salvation  of  men.  The  application  of 
Christian  doctrine  in  the  life  and  experience  of  the  believer  was, 
however,  not  then  as  clearly  understood  as  in  later  times.  The 
Reformers  were  exceedingly  biased  in  their  doctrinal  views.  It 
was  very  difficult  for  any  of  them  to  understand  the  differences 
between  the  essentials  and  the  unessentials  in  the  matter  of  per- 
sonal salvation.  Even  Protestants  passed  the  ban  of  imprison- 
ment, banishment  and  even  death  upon  dissenters.  We  need  only 
recall  the  dreadful  persecutions  of  the  Mennonites  on  the  Conti- 
nent, the  Non-Conformists  in  England,  and  imprisonment,  ban- 
ishment, and  even,  hanging  of  Quakers,  Baptists  and  others  in 
New  England.  In  holding  that  "only  one  creed  can  be  right," 
our  forefathers  failed  to  remember  that  creeds  are  made  by  men 
and  need  to  be  revised  as  men  gain  larger  visions  of  truth. 

However,  amid  all  the  turmoils  incident  to  an  adjustment  of 
Christian  doctrine  and  practice,  there  always  existed  two  distinct 
elements  in  the  Protestant  Church,  which  may  be  denominated  as 
the  "High"  and  the  "Low"  church  parties.  The  difference  be- 
tween them  relates  rather  to  spirit  and  method  in  church  life, 
than  to  doctrine.  A  "high"  churchman  lays  stress  on  creed, 
ordinances,  ceremonies,  and  authority.  A  "low"  churchman, 
while  not  disregarding  these,  holds  that  the  emphasis  must  be 
laid  on  the  spiritual  life  and  experience,  rather  than  outward 
forms.  To  the  "low"  churchman  forms  and  ceremonies  are 
simply  a  means  to  an  end,  and  are  useless  except  as  they  impart 
a  spiritual  benefit  through  a  living  faith.  In  a  word,  the  "high" 
churchman  makes  much  of  the  outer,  while  the  "low"  church- 
man makes  more  of  the  inner  things  of  religion. 

Under  various  names,  such  as  "Ritualism"  and  "Pietism,"  these 
two  forms  of  church  life  have  existed  in  the  elder  Protestant 
denominations  since  the  days  of  the  Reformation.  While  in 
many  instances  this  was  the  fruitful  cause  of  controversy  and 
persecution,  the  original  creeds  remained  substantially  the  same. 
As  a  striking  example,  we  have  the  great  Wesleyan  (Methodist) 


RELATION  TO  PROTESTANT  FAITH  AND  EVANGELISM.  39 


revival  in  England  over  a  century  ago.  What  can  be  more  un- 
seemly than  a  comparison  between  a  fiery  Methodist  evangelist 
of  the  olden  time,  with  the  tumultuous  accompaniments  of  his 
eloquence,  and  a  ''high"  church  Episcopal  priest  with  his  "sacred 
vestments"  and  ceremonials.  Day  and  night  are  not  more  dis- 
similar, and  yet  they  both  stand  on  the  same  creed,  the  "Thirty- 
Nine  Articles"  of  the  Church  of  England.  The  same  was  true 
in  the  German  revival  in  Pennsylvania.  Otterbein,  Albright, 
Gueting,  and  their  coworkers  preached  no  new  creed  or  faith, 
but  sought  to  revive  the  spiritual  life  of  the  creeds  as  inculcated 
in  the  fundamental  faith  of  these  Churches.  The  careful  student 
of  Church  history  will  observe  that  the  Christian  Church  in  gen- 
eral advances  or  recedes  into  one  or  the  other  of  these  conditions, 
until  it  assumes  its  marked  characteristics.  When  the  "high" 
church  spirit  is  in  the  ascendant,  the  Church  is  said  to  be  "ritual- 
istic," and  w^en  the  opposite  spirit  prevails  it  is  "spiritual"  or 
"evangelical."  It  is  well  that  we  understand  these  distinct  phases 
of  Church  life,  for  the  reason  that  they  explain  the  origin  and 
character  of  the  Wesleyan,  Otterbein,  and  Albright  movements, 
all  of  which  are  more  or  less  related  and  spring  from  the  same 
sources. 

In  this  connection  we  may  say  that  while  it  is  rather  within  the 
province  of  the  theologian  than  the  historian  to  exemplify  the 
scriptural  aspects  of  these  diverse  conditions  of  Church  life, 
nevertheless  their  origin  and  development,  externally,  are  proper 
subjects  of  historical  investigation. 

Considering  this  subject  as  related  to  more  recent  times,  we 
find  that  the  "Low  Church"  or  "Evangelical"  spirit  has  most  pro- 
foundly impressed  the  older  denominations,  and  in  a  great  meas- 
ure changed  the  very  character  of  their  Church  life.  This  is 
seen  in  the  promotion  of  evangelistic  effort  and  interdenomina- 
tional fellowship.  Practically  all  American  Protestant  denomi- 
nations now  heartily  cooperate  in  the  various  general  organiza- 
tions that  have  for  their  immediate  object  the  salvation  and  up- 
lift of  man.  It  is  further  seen  in  the  full  recognition  given  to  all 
Protestant  bodies  on  the  basis  of  holding  the  "essentials"  of  faith, 
and  the  steady  trend  to  crystallize  them  all  into  one  common 
Brotherhood  of  the  Christian  Faith,  and  thus  fulfil  the  prayer  of 


40 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


our  Lord  and  Master  ''that  they  may  be  one"  (Jno.  17:  21).  In 
the  light  of  these  facts,  estabUshed  by  a  study  of  the  inner  history 
of  denominational  life,  the  far-reaching  effects  of  the  revival 
movement  of  which  the  work  of  Rev.  Jacob  Albright  was  a  con- 
stituent part,  becomes  apparent. 

We  now  turn  from  the  consideration  of  ''low  church"  or 
evangelical  life  in  general,  and  trace  its  unfolding  into  the  various 
types  of  Church  life  and  the  work  of  Albright  as  related  to  them. 
In  its  unfolding,  the  Evangelical  element  of  the  movement  under 
consideration,  may  be  traced  to  two  separate  streams  of  influ- 
ence, each  representing  a  distinct  type,  though  essentially  "the 
same  spirit"  (i  Cor.  12:4).  The  first  may  be  denominated  the 
German  Pietistic  type.  As  noted  in  a  previous  connection.  Pietism 
arose  as  a  protest  against  the  dead  formalism  of  German  Prot- 
estantism. Owing  to  the  union  of  Church  and  State,  the  German 
Protestant  Church  was  strongly  influenced  by  secular  and  politi- 
cal influences  in  its  earlier  stages,  and  spiritual  life  gave  way 
largely  to  formalism.  The  low  state  of  religion  led  to  the  re- 
vival of  Mysticism  with  its  spiritual  vagaries  and  esoterical 
speculations.  The  leader  of  this  movement  was  the  noted  Jacob 
Boehm,  (i 575-1624),  whose  works  profoundly  impressed  the  en- 
tire Protestant  Church  for  more  than  a  century.  Mysticism, 
however,  was  the  negative  pole  of  Ritualism,  and  practically  re- 
jected the  ordinances  of  the  Church  as  superfluous,  and  tended 
directly  to  Separatism,  and  by  its  antagonism  to  organization  and 
authority  in  the  Church,  has  always  proved  fatal  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  a  true  Church  spirit. 

Between  the  Ritualist  and  the  Mystic  arose  the  Pietist,  who 
accepted  the  Creed  and  Ordinances,  but  rejected  all  Ritualistic 
merit.  The  Pietists  were  the  "Evangelicals"  of  the  German 
churches.  They  instituted  the  "Conventicle,"  which  corresponded 
to  our  modern  prayer-meetings.  Also  the  "Colegia  Pietates/'  or 
Schools  of  Piety,  which  were  on  the  order  of  modern  Bible  con- 
ferences or  Chautauqua  assemblies. 

While  we  must  assume  that  great  numbers  of  truly  pious  people 
were  found  in  the  Church  from  the  beginning,  it  was  not  until 
formalism  and  ritualism  robbed  the  Church  of  her  spiritual  life 
and  power  that  Pietism  appears  in  the  foreground  as  a  distinct 


RELATION  TO  PROTESTANT  FAITH  AND  EVANGELISM.  41 


movement  within  the  established  Church,  having  its  own  leaders, 
and  putting  forth  a  distinctive  literature.  The  movement  first 
assumed  large  proportions  in  the  Palatinate,  where  the  Lutheran 
Reformation  was  early  established.  A  period  of  formalism  set 
in,  and  the  spiritual  element  became  dissatisfied  with  the  tendency 
of  the  Church  hierarchy  to  affiliate  with  Rome,  especially  on  the 
Tenth  Article  of  the  Augsburg  Confession  which  teaches  the 
doctrine  of  Consubstantiation,  or  the  bodily  presence  in  the 
eucharist.  It  was  held  that  Luther  had  not  gone  far  enough  in 
throwing  off  Romish  practices.  This  movement  resulted  in  the 
birth  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  Germany.^  The  reader  will  do 
well  to  remember  this  fact,  as  it  marks  an  epoch  in  the  Pietistic 
movement  under  consideration. 

The  immediate  effect  of  this  movement  was  the  establishment 
of  the  Reformed  universities  of  Heidelberg  and  Herborn,  which 
for  many  years  were  noted  for  their  orthodoxy  and  spirituality. 
Another  outcome  was  the  production  of  the  Heidelberg  Cate- 
chism by  Ursinus  and  Olevianus,  under  the  direction  of  the 
pious  Elector  of  the  Palatinate,  Frederick  III.  This  catechism, 
which  appeared  in  1563,  is  without  doubt  the  most  ''evangelical" 
and  spiritual  of  all  the  doctrinal  formularies  of  the  Reformation 
period.  Thus  we  have  seen,  that  the  Reformed  Church  of  Ger- 
many was  founded  in  an  atmosphere  of  spiritual  life,  and  her 
struggle  against  the  dead  formalism  which  early  invaded  Protes- 
tantism forms  the  brightest  chapter  of-  her  history. 

The  Evangelical  spirit  of  the  early  Reformed  Church  is  spe- 
cially noted  by  leading  historians.  Ikens,  in  his  ''Life  of 
Neander,"  says,  "We  must  consider  Pietism  as  an  integral  part 
of  Reformed  Church  History."  Dr.  James  I.  Good,  in  his  ex- 
cellent history  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  Germany,  says,  "To 
eliminate  Pietism  from  the  Reformed  Church  would  be  to  elimi- 
nate a  large  part  of  her  best  history.  Her  greatest  theologians 
and  best  historians,  from  Lampe  down  to  Krummacher,  were 
Pietists.  Pietism,  instead  of  being  opposed  to  the  Reformed 
Church,  became  an  integral  part  of  her  being."  (p.  308.) 

3  See  "History  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  Germany,"  by  Dr.  James  I. 
Good. 


42 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


Apart  from  the  Reformed  movements  there  was  also  a  strong 
Pietistic  element  in  the  Lutheranr  Church,  but  being  a  small  minor- 
ity, it  was  bitterly  opposed  by  the  Church  authorities.  The  great 
leader  of  Lutheran  Pietism  was  Dr.  Philip  Jacob  Spener  (b. 
1635 — d.  1705) ,  who  in  his  earlier  years  had  been  in  touch  with  the 
Palatine  Pietists  while  he  was  pastor  at  Strasburg.  The  spiritual 
and  evangelical  teachings  of  Spener  were  widely  disseminated 
throughout  the  Lutheran  Church  and  caused  a  great  agitation. 
In  the  city  of  Brfurt,  where  Spener  was  pastor,  he  won  many 
adherents  and  established  one  of  the  first  of  his  "Colegia 
Pietates,"  or  Schools  of  Piety.  Among  his  distinguished  disciples 
were  his  brother-in-law,  Johan  H.  Herbius,  Dr.  J.  J.  Fabricius, 
Dr.  Augustus  Herman  Francke,  Dr.  Gottfried  Arnold,  Dr.  J. 
W.  Peterson,  and  his  celebrated  wife,  Johanna  von  Merlau,  all 
of  whom  were  noted  as  leaders  and  writers  in  the  Pietistic  move- 
ment. The  Chapter  at  Erfurt  soon  incurred  the  disfavor  of  the 
authorities,  and  upon  investigation  it  was  ordered  to  be  sup- 
pressed and  the  leaders  banished.  The  persecution  of  the  Pietists 
now  became  general,  followed  by  banishment  and  imprisonment. 
And  all  this  because  the  Pietists  sought  to  live  the  life  their  creed 
inculcated. 

It  was  during  this  period  of  persecution  of  the  Evangelicals 
amongst  them,  by  the  Protestants,  that  William  Penn  and  his 
company  made  their  celebrated  tour  through  Germany  (1676), 
in  aid  of  the  cause  of  spiritual  religion.  This  is  a  fact  vital  to 
our  subject,  as  it  was  one  of  the  potent  causes  of  the  emigration 
of  the  large  number  of  Pietists  to  Pennsylvania,  chiefly  through 
the  influence  of  "The  Frankford  Land  Company,"  which  ac- 
quired twenty-five  thousand  acres  of  land  from  Penn  in  the 
vicinity  of  Philadelphia.  This  was  in  1686.  Some  of  the 
Pietistic  leaders  we  have  named  were  among  its  founders.  Dr. 
Francis  Daniel  Pastorius,  the  founder  of  Germantown,  (1684), 
was  the  general  agent  of  the  company. 

Recurring  to  the  chapter  at  Erfurt,  Dr.  Spener  was  the  first  to 
be  banished.  Proceeding  to  Berlin,  in  1691,  he  was  received  with 
open  arms  by  the  Elector  of  Brandenburg,  King  Frederick  I  of 
Prussia.    The  king,  who  was  of  the  Reformed  faith,  not  only 


RELATION  TO  PROTESTANT  FAITH  AND  EVANGELISM.  43 


welcomed  Spener  and  his  fellow  Pietists  to  his  realm,  but  gave 
to  Spener  the  pastorate  of  the  largest  Lutheran  church  in  Berlin, 
and  also  made  him  superintendent  of  churches.  Moreover,  in 
order  to  conserve  the  Pietistic  movement,  the  king,  in  1694, 
founded  the  famous  University  at  Halle,  where  some  of  the 
followers  of  Spener,  such  as  Breithaupt  and  associates,  were 
installed  as  professors.  Dr.  Francke,  having  been  expelled  from 
Erfurt,  also  came  to  Halle,  where  he  organized  the  great  Orphan- 
age and  Missionary  Institute,  from  which  a  great  stream  of 
evangelical  Hterature  and  missionary  influence  poured  its  spir- 
itual blessings  for  more  than  a  century  into  the  Protestant 
Church. 

The  work  of  Dr.  Francke,  especially,  profoundly  impressed  the 
life  of  the  Protestant  Church.  Among  his  early  students  was 
the  youthful  Count  Nicholas  Zinzendorf,  founder  of  the  Mo- 
ravian Church,  and  later  still  Henry  Melchior  Muhlenberg, 
of  the  Lutheran  Church,  both  of  whom  were  Pietists,  and  both 
organized  their  respective  churches  in  America.  Such  in  brief  is 
the  story  of  German  Pietism  often  referred  to  in  this  work. 

We  now  turn  to  the  second  stream  of  evangelical  influence 
under  consideration,  which  may  be  denominated  Anglican  or 
Wesleyan,  because  it  had  its  origin  in  England,  under  the  labors 
of  Rev.  John  Wesley  (b-1702,  d-1791).  The  followers  of 
Wesley  were  called  "Methodists"  and  were  so  called  because  of 
their  strict  religious  life  as  compared  with  other  professed 
Christians.  The  writings  of  Wesley  show  that  he  was  greatly 
indebted  to  the  German  Pietists  for  many  of  the  elements  that 
entered  into  his  work.  We  need  only  refer  to  his  connection 
with  the  Moravians  at  Herrnhut  and  his  "Notes  on  the  New 
Testament,"  one  of  the  doctrinal  standards  of  Methodism,  the 
materials  of  which  he  took  almost  bodily  from  "Bengel's 
Gnomon."  Dr.  Johann  Bengel,  author  of  this  work,  was  a  Lu- 
theran writer  of  the  Pietistic  school. 

It  was  in  America  that  these  two  streams  of  evangelical  influ- 
ence met — German  Pietism  and  Wesleyan  Methodism,  each 
representing  a  distinct  type  of  religious  life,  but  essentially  "the 
same  spirit."    It  was  the  coming  in  contact  of  these  currents  of 


44 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


influence  with  the  dead  formalism  into  which  the  old  churches 
had  already  sunk,  that  gave  rise  to  the  evangelistic  movements  in 
Pennsylvania  which  we  seek  to  trace,  and  with  which  the  work 
of  Rev.  Jacob  Albright  and  the  organization  of  "The  Evangelical 
Association"  stands  inseparably  connected. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Albright  in  Relation  to  the  Methodists  and 
United  Brethern. 

Not  "Methodists"  hut  "Bvangelists" — Union  with  Methodists  not  desired — 
Rev.  William  Otterbein — Why  not  United  Brethren  f — Albright's  meth- 
ods— Difference  in  doctrine  and  cultus — Testimony  of  contemporaries. 

HAVING  described  the  general  evangelistic  movements  in 
which  the  Evangelical  Association  was  born,  we  now  pro- 
ceed to  show  the  relations  of  Albright's  evangelistic  work  to 
other  contemporary  bodies  laboring  along  the  same  line,  and  also 
seek  the  reasons  for  the  separate  continuance  of  his  work.  The 
work  of  Albright  must  not  for  a  moment  be  regarded  as  sporadic 
and  without  relation  to  the  organized  evangelistic  efforts  around 
him.  We  have  already  shown  that  while  his  work  owed  some- 
thing to  Methodism  for  its  original  trend,  and  to  the  parent  Eng- 
lish Church  for  its  doctrine,  nevertheless  its  genius  and  spirit 
was  of  the  German  Pietistic  type,  as  from  this  element  it  derived 
fully  three-fourths  of  its  early  membership.  These  facts,  while 
not  material  so  far  as  ultimate  results  are  concerned,  are  of  value 
in  explaining  denominational  traits  which  are  very  marked  and 
which  clearly  distinguish  the  Evangelical  from  the  Methodist 
denominations. 

Although  in  faith  and  polity  Albright  and  his  coworkers  were 
in  accord  with  the  Methodists,  they  distinctly  disclaimed  being 
Methodists.  From  the  very  beginning  they  claimed  to  be  "Evan- 
gelical," as  the  following  from  the  journal  of  Rev.  George 
Miller  shows  "One  evening  (1805)  I  put  up  at  the  house  of 
a  man  named  Lesher,  in  Lancaster  County,  and  was  lovingly  re- 
ceived. Both  in  the  evening  and  morning  I  prayed  with  them, 
and  as  I  was  about  to  leave  he  asked  me  whether  I  was  not  a 
Methodist  preacher.   I  replied  that  I  was  no  Methodist  preacher, 

I  "Albright  and  Miller,"  p.  83. 


45 


46 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


'But  you  are  a  preacher,'  said  he,  'and  to  what  denomination  do 
you  belong  ?'  I  replied,  'I  am  an  Bvangelical  preacher.'  "  Thus 
writes  Albright's  biographer,  two  years  before  the  organization 
of  the  conference. 

To  illustrate  the  spirit  with  which  Albright  inspired  his  fol- 
lowers as  to  their  special  duty  to  evangelize  the  Germans,  we 
give  the  following,  which  also  affords  an  explanation  regarding 
the  separate  work  of  the  Evangelicals : 

Father  John  Dreisbach,  the  last  surviving  colleague  of  Al- 
bright, records  the  fact  that  in  1810  he  rode  many  miles  in 
company  with  Bishop  Asbury  and  Henry  Boehm,  as  they  jour- 
neyed down  the  Susquehanna  Valley,  and  that  they  together  so- 
journed at  the  house  of  "Brother  Foulk."  During  this  long 
companionship  they  thoroughly  discussed  the  question  of  Church 
union.  Asbury  strongly  urged  the  union  and  made  a  very  favor- 
able offer  to  Dreisbach  individually.  Dreisbach's  proposition 
was  that  the  Evangelicals  would  come  in  a  body  into  the  Method- 
ist Church,  if  they  were  allowed  to  continue  their  distinctive 
work  among  the  Germans.  To  this  Bishop  Asbury  replied  that 
it  was  "impractical,"  as  the  German  language  would  soon  be 
extinct.  How  greatly  the  good  bishop  was  mistaken,  appears  in 
the  subsequent  history  of  both  denominations.  It  is  a  noteworthy 
fact  that  although  both  Asbury  and  Boehm  made  record  in  their 
respective  journals  (Aug.  10,  1810),  of  this  journey  and  their 
stopping  over  night  at  the  home  of  Foulk,  neither  of  them  men- 
tions Dreisbach  and  the  weighty  matters  discussed.  The  omis- 
sion on  the  part  of  Asbury  can  only  be  explained  on  the  assump- 
tion that  he  was  opposed  to  any  nativistic  deflection  of  his  Church 
at  that  time.  The  good  judgment  of  Dreisbach  in  this  matter 
was  vindicated  in  the  fact  that  the  Methodist  Church,  as  early  as 
1800,  had  three  young  men  who  preached  in  the  German  as  well 
as  in  the  English  language.  They  were  Henry  Boehm,  son  of 
Bishop  Boehm,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church,  Jacob  Gruber,  and  Peter  Beaver,  all  Pennsylvania  Ger- 
mans.^   In  1803-4,  Boehm  and  Gruber  served  a  Methodist  cir- 

2  Dreisbach,  in  "Evangelical  Messenger,"  1855,  p.  26. 

3  Rev.  Henry  Boehm,  son  of  Bishop  Martin  Boehm,  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church,  was  born  in  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  in  1775,  and  died  in 


RELATION  TO  METHODISTS  AND  UNITED  BRETHREN.  47 


cuit  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania  that  had  thirty  preaching  places, 
twenty  of  which  were  German  appointments.*  In  addition  to  all 
this,  there  were  preaching  places  where  the  three  evangelistic 
denominations,  Methodist,  United  Brethren,  and  Evangelical, 
served  in  rotation.  This  is  truly  remarkable  and  shows  how 
little  Bishop  Asbury,  who  was  born  in  England,  understood  the 
German  spirit. 

Recurring  again  to  the  origin  of  the  United  Brethren  and  the 
Evangelical  Churches,  in  the  pietistic  and  evangelistic  movement 
of  the  Reformed  Church  in  Pennsylvania,  we  find  a  radical  dif- 
ference in  the  character  of  their  development,  which  tended  to 
keep  the  two  forces  separate,  although  working  in  the  same  field 
and  in  much  the  same  manner.  This  leads  us  to  the  considera- 
tion of  a  pertinent  and  vital  question:  Why  did  not  these  two 
forces  join  organically?  Both  denominations  suffered  alike  the 
reproach  and  opposition  of  the  old  Churches ;  they  had  scores  of 
preaching  places  in  common ;  then  why  not  be  one  denomination- 
ally? In  this  instance  the  disinclination  seems  to  have  been  on 
the  part  of  the  Evangelicals,  since  the  mention  in  Bishop  New- 
comer's journal,  of  his  repeated  efforts  to  effect  a  union  with 
''The  Albright  Brethren"  clearly  indicates  the  adverse  attitude 
of  the  latter  toward  a  union.  The  last  of  five  such  efforts  made 
by  him  was  at  the  first  Evangelical  General  Conference,  in  1816, 
which  resulted  in  the  appointment  by  the  conference  of  a  com- 
mittee to  meet  a  similar  one  of  the  United  Brethren.  This  joint 
commission  met  February  14,  181 7,  but  no  favorable  action  re- 
sulted. 

The  thoughtful  reader  will  naturally  wish  to  know  what  were 
these  differences  which  formed  the  barrier  to  a  union  so  earnestly 
sought  by  the  good  Bishop  Newcomer.  This  leads  us  to  recur 
to  the  origin  of  both  denominations.  While  the  Evangelicals  un- 
doubtedly had  their  origin  in  the  same  movement  as  the  United 

1875,  aged  100  years.  His  "Reminiscences"  is  an  interesting  book.  Jacob 
Gruber  was  born  in  1778,  and  died  1850.  He  was  an  eccentric  man  and  his 
autobiography  is  vastly  interesting.  Peter  Beaver  died  at  New  Berlin,  Pa., 
in  1849,  aged  67  years.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  Gen.  James  A.  Beaver, 
governor  of  Pennsylvania. 
4  "Boehm's  Reminiscences,"  p.  106. 


48 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


Brethren,  nevertheless  each  took  a  different  trend  at  its  very  be- 
ginning. While  the  Reformed  evangelists  had  little  to  do  with 
the  Albright  ministry,  because  it  was  composed  of  laymen,  yet  its 
constituency  was  almost  wholly  Reformed  Pietistic.  On  the  other 
hand,  most  of  the  United  Brethren  ministers,  headed  by  Dr. 
William  Otterbein,  had  been  connected  with  the  Reformed 
Church.  Then,  too,  there  was  a  large  number  of  both  ministers 
and  members  who  came  from  the  Mennonite  Church.  It  was 
evidently  the  influx  of  this  element  into  the  United  Brethren 
Church  that  so  affected  its  faith  and  polity  as  to  render  a  union 
with  the  "Albrights"  impractical.  Passing  over  the  difficulties 
that  acted  unfavorably  to  a  union  in  later  years,  a  consideration 
of  conditions  as  they  existed  in  the  days  of  Albright,  will  illumi- 
nate the  question  as  to  why  Albright  did  not,  in  the  beginning 
of  his  ministry,  connect  himself  with  Riegel,  Grosh  and  the 
Hersheys,  all  from  his  own  neighborhood,  in  their  evangelistic 
work.  Although  Albright  could  join  with  them,  as  elsewhere 
shown,  in  their  "Sacramental  Meetings"  as  they  called  them, 
there  must  have  been  a  very  serious  obstacle  to  prevent  his  joining 
in  a  movement  that  on  general  principles  should  otherwise  have 
appealed  to  him.  These  reasons  we  now  proceed  to  set  forth,  and, 
in  order  to  avoid  all  imputation  of  bias  against  the  United  Breth- 
ren Church,  we  will  let  the  writers  of  that  Church  give  us  what, 
in  our  opinion,  constituted  the  points  of  difficulty. 

In  order  to  do  this  we  will  enumerate  three  prominent  char- 
acteristics in  the  ministerial  life  of  Albright,  which  stand  out 
in  clear  relief  in  his  personal  history  and  which  undoubtedly  pre- 
vented his  connection  with  the  United  Brethren  work. 

First  of  all,  Albright  was  a  strict  doctrinarian  and  held  tena- 
ciously to  the  old  creed,  and  in  his  sermons  sought  to  show  how  the 
old  Churches  had  lost  sight  of  the  spiritual  life  of  their  own  stand- 
ards of  faith.  The  United  Brethren,  instead  of  retaining  the  old 
creed,  as  did  the  Methodists  and  Albrights,  adopted  a  new  one  of 
seven  propositions,  several  of  which  are  doctrinally  different  from 
the  old  confession.  How  Otterbein,  one  of  the  founders,  and  who 
professed  to  remain  true  to  the  Heidelberg  Catechism,  the  doc- 
trinal standard  of  the  Reformed  Church,  could  do  so  and  yet 
hold  to  the  seventh  tenet  his  following  adopted,  we  cannot  under- 


RELATION  TO  METHODISTS  AND  UNITED  BRETHREN.  49 


stand.  This  refers  especially  to  the  article  on  the  ordinances  of 
Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.  Will  the  reader  compare  Articles 
XXVII  and  XXVIII  of  the  Anglican  Confession,  as  adopted  by 
the  Methodist  and  "Albrights,"  and  also  Questions  66,  69  and  71 
in  the  Heidelberg  Catechism  in  harmony  with  them,  and  the  fol- 
lowing from  the  United  Brethren  creed:  "We  recommend  that 
the  outward  signs  and  ordinances,  namely,  baptism  and  the  re- 
membrance of  the  Lord  in  the  distribution  of  the  bread  and  wine, 
be  observed;  also  the  washing  of  feet  where  the  same  is  de- 
sired."^ This  was  somewhat  but  not  materially  changed  in  later 
years. 

The  second  prominent  trait  in  the  character  of  Albright  was 
his  love  of  order  and  discipline.  This  was  an  element  sadly  want- 
ing in  the  formative  period  of  the  United  Brethren  movement. 
On  this  subject  we  will  let  one  of  their  own  historians  speak: 
"The  early  United  Brethren  came  mostly  from,  other  Churches 
whose  polity  was  essentially  non-itinerant,  and  its  itinerant  service 
for  a  time  was  chiefly  that  of  evangelistic  visitation;  the  true 
itinerant  feeling  and  system  being  not  yet  developed."® 

The  results  of  this  chaotic  condition  of  affairs  is  vividly  brought 
out  in  the  following  extract  from  Bishop  Newcomer's  journal, 
under  date  of  May  10,  1809  :^  "This  day  the  session  of  our  con- 
ference convened  at  Christian  Herr's  in  Lancaster  County,  and 
continued  till  twelve  o'clock  at  night.  Different  subjects  came  up 
for  consideration,  particularly  the  case  of  a  closer  fellowship 
with  our  Methodist  brethren.  My  wish  and  desire  was  to  have 
both  order  and  discipline  established  in  our  society,  and  some  of 
my  brethren  were  of  opinion  that  this  was  unnecessary,  and  that 
the  Word  of  God  alone  was  sufficient,  and  were  therefore  op- 
posed to  all  discipline.  I  could  plainly  perceive  that  this  oppo- 
sition originated  in  prejudice ;  therefore  I  sincerely  and  fervently 
prayed  for  the  illumination  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Lord  owned 
my  prayers  when  I  almost  despaired  of  success,  and  had  nearly 

5  "History  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  America,"  by  Dr.  J.  I.  Good,  pp. 
498,  S03.  Berger's  "History  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,"  pp.  137, 
S03,  etc. 

6  Berger's  "History  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,"  p.  195. 

7  Newcomer's  Journal,  p.  175. 

4 


50 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


determined  to  leave  and  withdraw  from  the  Society."  Bishop 
Asbury,  of  the  Methodist  Church,  who  was  an  intimate  friend 
of  Otterbein,  thus  writes  in  his  journal,  on  August  2,  1803:^ 
"I  feel  and  have  felt  for  thirty-two  years  for  Pennsylvania,  the 
most  wealthy  and  the  most  careless  about  God;  *  *  *  but  I 
hope  God  will  shake  the  State  and  Church.  There  are  now  up- 
wards of  twenty  German  preachers  somehow  connected  with 
Mr.  Otterbein  and  Martin  Boehm,  but  they  want  authority  and 
the  Church  wants  discipline." 

The  third  specific  trait  in  the  character  of  Albright  that  made 
him  inimical  to  the  movement  under  consideration,  was  his 
churchly  spirit  and  belief  in  the  orderly  organization  of  the  spirit- 
ual people  into  classes  for  the  purpose  of  discipline  and  mutual 
edification.  This  is  seen  in  the  beginning  of  his  ministry  when, 
as  early  as  1800,  he  formed  his  people  into  classes,  and  thereafter 
in  all  other  places,  as  soon  as  there  were  a  sufficient  number  to 
effect  such  organizations.  Of  this  there  is  abundant  proof  in  the 
detailed  accounts  of  his  work  in  this  volume.  Practically  the 
opposite  spirit  prevailed  in  the  United  Brethren  Church,  as  ap- 
pears from  the  following:  ''The  lack  of  a  denominational  spirit 
also  worked  to  the  serious  injury  of  the  Church  even  down  to  a 
period  as  late  as  1830.  The  brethren,  as  already  seen,  were  con- 
verts from  the  various  German  Churches,  all  of  whom  were  of 
the  straightest  sect,  against  the  intolerant  sectarian  spirit  to  which 
they  had  been  accustomed."  The  reaction  of  those  converts,  when 
they  found  themselves  to  be  all  one  in  Christ  by  virtue  of  the 
new  birth,  was  so  powerful  as  to  push  many  of  them  into  an 
opposite  direction."^ 

The  United  Brethren  had  no  organizations  such  as  the  Al- 
bright brethren  had.  While  Albright  enjoined  the  keeping  of 
records  of  membership,  the  United  Brethren  kept  no  such  records. 
An  effort  in  their  conference  to  inaugurate  class  discipline  and 
records  was  defeated  in  the  session  of  1802.^^  Up  to  the  year 
1 81 2  all  the  ministers  of  the  United  Brethren  Church  were  un- 
ordained,  with  the  exception  of  Dr.  Otterbein,  and  the  confer- 

8  Bishop  Asbury's  Journal,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  no. 

9  Lawrence,  "History  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  Vol.  II,  p.  24. 

10  Berger's  "History  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,"  p.  171. 


RELATION  TO  METHODISTS  AND  UNITED  BRETHREN.  51 


ence  by  vote  authorized  certain  men  to  administer  the  ordinances.^^ 
At  the  session  of  1812  there  were  twenty  ministers  so  authorized. 
"Exhorters"  were  licensed  by  the  annual  conference,  and  their 
local  preachers  had  an  equal  voice  in  the  conferences  with  the 
itinerants.  This  latter  fact  was  one  of  the  obstacles  in  the  way 
of  a  union  in  1817,  after  some  of  the  earlier  objections  had  disap- 
peared.^- How  this  condition  of  affairs  in  the  United  Brethren 
Church  was  viewed  by  others,  will  be  seen  in  the  following  ex- 
tract from  the  writings  of  Rev.  Henry  Boehm,  whose  father, 
Bishop  Martin  Boehm,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church.  He  says^^  that  in  1799  he  accompanied  his 
father  on  a  ministerial  tour  to  Maryland  and  Virginia,  and  that 
at  the  house  of  Peter  Kemp,  in  Frederick  County,  Maryland,  he 
attended  a  conference  at  which  his  father  and  Rev.  William 
Otterbein  were  unanimously  elected  to  the  office  of  bishop.  His 
impressions  of  the  conference  and  how  it  influenced  his  future 
course  he  gives  as  follows :  "They  had  at  this  time  but  little 
order  or  discipline,  and  what  I  had  seen  of  the  order  and  dis- 
cipline of  the  Methodists  at  General  Conference  in  Baltimore  and 
at  the  Philadelphia  conference,  showed  me  the  vast  superiority 
of  the  latter,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  to  enter  their  itinerancy." 
The  fact  that  in  after  years  the  United  Brethren  brought  order 
and  discipline  out  of  these  confused  conditions  does  not  affect  our 
statements  as  to  the  cause  of  Albright  standing  aloof  from  that 
movement.  We  have  described  the  conditions  then  existing  and 
the  reader  must  be  left  to  draw  his  own  conclusions. 

11  Berger's  "History  of  the  United  Bretliren  Church,"  p.  181. 

12  Dreisbach's  letter  in  the  "Evangelical  Messenger"  in  1855.  He  was 
a  member  of  this  Joint  Commission. 

13  "Boehm's  Reminiscences,"  p.  56. 


CHAPTER  V. 


The  First  Sowing.  (1796-1803.) 

Albright  begins  his  labors — Shafferstown  dedication — Barly  persecutions — 
Tours  eastern  Pennsylvania — Organizes  the  Walter's,  Leeser's,  and 
Phillips'  classes — Zimmermans — Jonestown — The  first  Pentecostal 
meeting — The  Millers  and  Probsts  converted — John  Walter  a  co-laborer 
— Preaches  in  Lancaster  and  Dauphin  Counties — Begins  his  work  be- 
yond the  Susquehanna — Remarkable  meetings  at  John  Thomas' — The 
provisional  class — First  church  land  given — His  second  assistant — His 
ordination. 

IN  the  month  of  October,  1796,  Jacob  Albright  entered  the  field 
as  an  independent  evangelist  among  the  Pennsylvania  Germans. 
It  is  difficult  for  us  to  comprehend  properly  what  a  sacrifice  this 
step  involved  on  his  part.  He  had  a  farm  and  stock  that  needed 
care  during  his  absence.  His  other  lucrative  occupations  had  to 
be  relinquished  without  any  compensating  income  from  his  min- 
isterial labors.  In  addition  to  these  great  sacrifices,  there  awaited 
him  persecutions  and  the  hardships  of  his  itinerant  labors  that  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  sickness  that  cut  short  his  life  in  the  best 
years  of  his  career. 

Prior  to  1800  he  extended  his  tours  southward  into  Western 
Maryland,  the  Shenandoah  Valley  in  Virginia,  and  Berkeley 
County  in  West  Virginia.  Prior  to  this  date  we  can  find  no  trace 
of  his  labors  west  of  the  Susquehanna  River,  except  the  fact  of 
his  tours.^  In  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  however,  we  can  readily 
trace  his  footsteps  as  he  seems  to  have  established  a  number  of 
well-defined  routes  long  before  the  above  date. 

The  first  tangible  evidence  we  have  of  his  ministry  was  on  the 
occasion  of  the  dedication  of  a  Reformed  church  at  Shafferstown, 
Pa.,  on  October  8,  1797,^  where  he  began  to  preach  to  an  over- 

1  See  "Albright  and  Miller,"  p.  26. 

2  For  an  account  of  this  dedication,  see  Bishop  Newcomer's  Journal,  p. 
32.  He  was  present  and  preached  from  Heb.  2 :  3.  The  date  hitherto  given 
in  Evangelical  publications  as  1796,  is  one  year  too  early. 


52 


THE  FIRST  SOWING. 


53 


flow  assembly  in  the  open  market  shed  near  the  church,  but  was 
attacked  by  a  mob  and  the  meeting  broken  up. 

After  the  dedication  of  the  Reformed  church,  the  United 
Brethren  preachers,  Newcomer  and  Gueting,  had  a  service  at 
the  home  of  G.  Zentmayer,  a  prominent  member  of  that  church, 
who  was  a  thorough  Pietist,  and  afterwjards  opened  his  house 
as  a  preaching  place  for  Albright.^ 

In  1799  Albright  again  preached  in  the  Shafferstown  market 
house  during  the  "cherry  fair,"  a  yearly  frolic  held  when  cherries 
were  ripe,  and  was  again  assaulted  by  his  enemies  with  almost 
fatal  results,  as  noted  elsewhere.  But  these  meetings  were  not 
without  good  results,  for  amongst  the  hearers  of  Albright  were 
several  men  who  afterward  became  quite  prominent  in  his  work, 
such  as  George  Becker  and  Jacob  Bricker,  with  whom  we  shall 
meet  in  another  connection. 

One  of  the  earliest  and  most  fruitful  fields  of  Albright's 
evangelistic  work  was  the  mountainous  region  north  of  his  birth- 
place. Only  a  few  miles  from  his  natal  home  near  the  Cole- 
brookdale  Iron  Works  in  Berks  County,  Pa.,  lived  the  brothers, 
Abraham  and  Joseph  Bookwalter,  both  of  whom  opened  their 
homes  to  him  in  the  beginning  of  his  ministry,  as  did  also  Alex- 
ander Jamison.  Some  miles  north  of  this,  near  the  Hoff  Re- 
formed church,  in  Herford  Township,  were  the  brothers  Samuel 
and  Abraham  Leeser,  also  of  the  first.  Turning  eastward,  a  few 
hours'  ride  brought  him  into  the  Schwenkf  elder  settlements,  at  the 
line  of  Bucks  and  Montgomery  Counties.  Here  he  had  early  ac- 
cess, as  w^e  shall  see.  Thence  to  Rock  Hill,  three  miles  east  of 
Quakertown,  Bucks  County.  Here  lived  Father  Peter  Walter 
and  his  large  family,  with  whom  we  shall  again  meet  presently. 
Three  miles  north  of  Walter's,  in  Richland  Township,  Bucks 
County,  was  the  home  of  Charles  Bisse.  All  of  those  places  lay 
within  a  distance  of  twenty  miles.  From  this  region  his  route 
led  about  a  day's  journey  beyond  the  Blue  Mountains,  in  Hamil- 
ton Township,  then  Northampton,  now  Monroe  County.  Here 
lived  father  George  Phillips,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  his 

3  This  and  other  facts  and  incidents  were  related  in  1827  to  Rev.  Jos. 
Saylor,  by  the  widow  of  Mr.  Zentmayer,  whose  home  was  then  still  an 
Evangelical  preaching  place. 


54 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


two  married  sons,  Jacob  and  Conrad,  and  the  Riedy,  Miller, 
and  Hecht  families. 

Albright's  entrance  among  Schwenkf elders*  was  on  this 
wise:  In  Upper  Hanover  Towinship,  Montgomery  County,  in 
one  of  his  tours  Albright  came  to  the  home  of  a  Schwenkfelder 
whose  child  was  about  to  be  buried,  and  he  accompanied  the 
funeral  cortege  to  the  little  church  where  the  obsequies  were  to 
be  held.  At  the  close  of  the  pastor's  sermon,  Albright  asked  his 
permission  to  speak  also,  which  was  granted.  His  discourse  was 
acceptable  to  many,  and  he  was  given  permission  to  preach  re- 
peatedly, but  when,  later,  opposition  was  manifested,  he  ceased 
to  preach  in  the  church.  He  had  however  won  many  friends,  and 
soon  a  prominent  Schwenkfelder,  David  Shultz,  opened  his 
house  to  him  as  a  place  of  worship.  The  seed  thus  sown,  amid 
much  opposition,  in  after  years  brought  forth  a  rich  harvest. 

First  Pentecostal  Meeting. — The  first  gathering  of  Albright 
with  any  number  of  his  adherents  from  different  places,  occurred 
on  this  eastern  field  soon  after  he  began  his  active  work.  That 
such  a  meeting  was  held,  rests  on  the  authority  of  Rev.  Charles 
Bisse,  one  of  his  first  adherents,  who  was  wont  to  relate  that  he 
was  one  of  five  who  met  with  Albright  for  the  purpose  of  prayer 
and  consultation  in  the  beginning  of  his  ministry.  It  is  quite 
probable  that  this  meeting  was  held  in  the  home  of  Father 
Walter,^  whose  house  was  central  to  the  Leesers,  Buchwalters 
and  Bisses,  and  doubtless  they  were  the  ones  present.  The  pur- 
pose of  the  meeting  was  to  pray  for  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  and  the  success  of  the  evangelistic  work  in  which  Albright 

4  Followers  of  Casper  von  Schwenkfeld,  a  contemporary  of  Martin 
Luther. 

5  Peter  Walter  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  His  family  consisted  of 
four  sons  and  four  daughters,  as  follows:  Joseph  (1778-1857)  ;  Rev.  John, 
Albright's  first  assistant  (1781-1818)  ;  Abraham,  a  local  preacher;  Peter; 
Lena,  married  a  Douglas;  Sarah,  married  J.  Hockman ;  Christena,  mar- 
ried John  Lesher;  Rebecca,  married  G.  Baden  The  three  last  named 
moved  to  Ohio  in  the  early  days.  Father  Walter  removed  to  (now)  Mt. 
Nebo,  in  Lebanon  County,  in  1805,  and  later  to  Turkey  Valley,  Juniata 
County,  where  he  died  about  1828.  His  son.  Rev.  Abraham  Walter,  also 
died  there  in  1857. 


THE  FIRST  SOWING. 


55 


was  engaged.  How  God  honored  these  prayers  will  be  seen  in 
the  success  of  Albright's  work  which  this  book  records. 

The  First  Classes. — Before  we  trace  the  labors  of  Albright 
into  other  regions,  we  will  note  the  organizations  which  he  ef- 
fected in  this,  his  field  of  first  sowing.  Sometime  in  iSoo  he 
deemed  it  expedient  to  organize  into  classes  those  who  regarded 
him  as  their  pastor. 

Walter's  Class. — The  first  class  organized  was  at  the  home  of 
Peter  Walter,  in  Rock  Hill,  Bucks  County.  He  and  his  wife 
Margaret,  were  the  parents  of  a  large  family,  all  of  them  promi- 
nent in  the  formative  period  of  the  Church.  In  their  home  was 
doubtless  held  the  first  Pentecostal  meeting,  as  well  as  the  first 
class  organization.  From,  this  home  Albright  also  secured  his 
first  assistant  in  the  person  of  John  Walter,  the  second  son,  who, 
in  1802,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  left  the  parental  home  to 
enter  the  evangelistic  field.  We  thus  see  an  early  fruitage  of  the 
Pentecostal  meeting.  Rev.  Charles  Bisse,  too,  was  a  member  of 
this  first  class,  of  whom  more  is  told  in  another  connection. 

Leeser's  Class. — The  Leesers^  lived  near  Barto,  in  Berks 
County.  There  were  two  brothers  of  this  name,  Samuel  and 
Abraham,  both  members  of  the  Hoff  Reformed  church,  near  by. 
These,  with  Abraham  and  Joseph  Buchwalter  and  their  families, 
and  Alexander  Jamison,  were  the  principal  members  of  the  class. 
Samuel  Leeser,  the  class  leader,  was  a  substantial  farmer.  In 
his  commodious  stone  house  Albright  wias  ordained. 

6  Samuel  and  Abraham  Leeser  were  sons  of  Benedict  Leeser.  Samuel, 
the  class  leader,  was  born  1761,  and  died  1836.  He  was  a  Revolutionary 
soldier.  His  brother,  Rev.  Abraham,  was  born  1770,  and  died  1805.  Mrs. 
Anna  Leeser,  "one  of  the  first  members,"  died  1838,  aged  82  years.  Abra- 
ham Buchwalter  was  born  1761,  and  died  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  1837.  His 
wife,  Barbara,  born  1764,  also  died  there,  1868,  aged  102  years.  Their  son 
John,  born  1787,  died  1872,  was  also  one  of  the  first,  and  was  licensed  to 
preach  in  1812.  His  wife,  Susanna,  nee  Dreisbach,  died  1881.  Joseph 
Buchwalter  was  born  1767,  and  died  in  Ross  County,  Ohio,  1838.  The 
Buchwalters  moved  to  Ohio  in  1820.  Jacob  Phillips,  local  preacher,  died 
1809.  In  181 1  Conrad  Phillips  removed  to  (now)  Winfield,  in  Union 
County,  to  a  farm  adjoining  Father  Eyer,  where  he  died  1816.  His  aged 
father  died  there  also  in  1822.  Adam  Miller  died  in  Crawford  County, 
Ohio,  1848,  aged  81  years.  His  house  was  one  of  the  first  preaching  places 
of  Albright.  Barbara  Hecht  died  1808,  leaving  a  bequest  of  $100  to  the 
"Albright  preachers."   This  was  the  first  bequest  received. 


56 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


Phillips'  Class  was  organized  at  the  home  of  George  Phillips, 
already  named.  The  leading  members  of  this  class  were  George 
Phillips,  his  sons,  Conrad  and  Jacob,  Peter  and  Jacob  Riedy, 
Philip  and  Adam  Miller,  all  heads  of  families,  also  Mrs. 
Barbara  Hecht. 

In  West  Penn  Township  in  (now)  Schuylkill  County,  lived 
Leonard  Zimmerman,  who  had  been  an  officer  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.'^  He  and  his  wife,  Sophia,  were  the  parents  of  a 
large  family.  The  home  of  this  godly  man  was  opened  as  early 
as  1797,  as  a  preaching  place  for  Albright  and  other  evangelistic 
ministers.  His  pastor,  of  the  Reformed  Church,  accompanied  by 
his  church  official,  called  upon  him  and  requested  him  to  close 
his  house  against  "the  false  prophets,"  as  he  called  the  evangelists. 
To  this  Father  Zimmerman  replied  that  it  was  high  time  that  a 
religious  reformation  take  place  in  that  community,  and  he  did 
not  expect  it  to  come  through  his  "church  preacher." 

Father  Zimmerman  was  a  liberal  minded  man,  and,  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death  in  1812,  the  first  German  preachers  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  as  well  as  the  Evangelicals, 
preached  at  his  house.  A  number  of  his  children  were  married 
and  heads  of  families  and  also  opened  their  homes  as  preaching 
places.  We  will  meet  them  in  another  chapter.  Leonard,  the 
yoimgest  son  of  Father  Zimmerman,  was  licensed  as  a  minister 
in  181 1.  Great  revivals  took  place  here  at  an  early  day  and  a 
class  was  formed  in  1803. 

Jonestown. — In  the  vicinity  of  Jonestown,  Lebanon  County, 
Albright  gained  entrance  prior  to  1800.  The  preaching  places 
were  at  the  homes  of  Ludv^ig  Zearing  and  Adam  Faber,  promi- 
nent members  of  the  Reformed  Church.  The  work  of  the  evan- 
gelists was  violently  opposed  by  the  old  "church  people"  and  on 
two  occasions  they  were  mobbed  during  their  services,  but  were 
providentially  saved  from  serious  consequences.  In  1805  Peter 
Walter,  the  first  class  leader,  moved  to  this  place  from  Bucks 
County  and  a  class  was  formed.^ 

7  First  lieutenant,  Second  Company,  First  Battalion,  Northampton 
County  Militia  (Fifth  Series),  Vol.  VIII,  p.  79,  Pennsylvania  Archives. 

8  Vide  "Evangelical  Annals,"  pp.  46-48. 


THE  FIRST  SOWING. 


57 


Fishing  Creek. — Early  in  his  ministry  Albright  gained  en- 
trance in  Fishing  Creek  Valley,  Dauphin  County.  We  have 
traced  conversions  in  this  place  back  to  1801.®  Among  the  preach- 
ing  places  were  the  homes  of  Philip  and  Benjamin  Stroh.  The 
former  at  an  early  day  removed  to  Ohio,  where  he  was  one  of 
the  first  members.  Here  occurred  the  earliest  known  baptism  by 
Albright,  when  in  1803  he  baptized  Mary  Ann,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  Stroh,  who  afterwards  married  George  Gipple.  As 
an  interesting  sequence,  George  Gipple,  who  was  leader  of  the 
Stroh  class,  in  1852,  removed  to  Iowa,  and  through  him  the  first 
Evangelical  church  was  built  in  that  State,  at  Grandview,  in  1857. 
In  his  home  county  of  Lancaster,  also,  Albright  undoubtedly 
preached  in  the  early  stages  of  his  ministry.  The  earliest  place 
we  have  been  able  to  locate  was  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Anna 
Thomas,  a  widow,  who  lived  ini  Manof  Township.  By  a  former 
marriage  she  had  two  sons,  Jacob  and  John  Ripley,  and  by  a 
second  she  had  David  and  Christian  Thomas.  Of  these  the 
Ripley  brothers  and  David  Thomas  became  useful  Evangelical 
ministers  at  an  early  day.  The  meetings  at  the  home  of  Mrs. 
Thomas  date  back  to  1802  and  perhaps  earlier.  From  this  place 
the  Evangelical  work  soon  spread  in  various  directions.  A  great 
revival  took  place  in  this  region  in  1807,  at  w\hich  time  a  young 
man  named  John  Erb  was  converted,  soon  afterwards  began  to 
preach,  and  in  1809  entered  the  regular  ministry. 

Conversion  o£  the  Miller  and  Brobst  Families. — Sometime 
during  the  Revolution,  a  man  named  Jacob  Miller  and  his  wife, 
Elisabeth,  removed  from  Pottstown  to  the  vicinity  of  Reading, 
in  Berks  County.  Among  their  children  were  four  sons,  George, 
Solomon,  John  and  Frederick,  all  of  whom  were  well  instructed 
in  the  doctrines  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  became  members  of 
the  same. 

In  1798  George  Miller,  one  of  the  sons,  who  lived  in  Bruns- 
wick Township,  in  (now)  Schuylkill  County,  attended  a  service 
held  in  his  vicinity  by  Albright.    The  evangelist  preached  from 

9  Mrs.  Hoffman,  who  died  in  Ohio  in  1863,  aged  78  years,  was  converted 
here,  "under  Albright,"  in  1800.  Benjamin  Stroh  died  in  1855,  aged  84 
years.  Mary  Ann  Gipple,  his  daughter,  who  was  baptized  by  Albright, 
died  at  Grandview,  Iowa,  in  1891,  aged  88  years. 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


the  words  "Behold  I  set  before  you  the  way  of  life  and  the  way 
of  death"  (Jer.  21:8).  The  sermon  deeply  impressed  Miller 
and  produced  a  penitential  frame  of  mind  in  him.  He  did  not, 
however,  at  that  time  find  the  desired  peace.  In  1800  he  married 
Magdalena  Brobst,  daughter  of  a  wealthy  iron  master.  In  1802 
he  was  visited  by  Albright,  who  remained  during  the  night, 
and  the  following  day  they  went  together  a  distance  of  ten 
miles  to  Leonard  Zimmerman's,  where  Albright  had  services. 
During  this  meeting  Miller  was  brought  into  the  clear  experience 
of  saving  grace.  His  brother,  Solomon,  who  also  lived  in  this 
locality,  was  passing  through  a  similar  penitential  struggle  as 
the  result  of  Albright's  preaching.  In  the  fall  of  this  year  the 
two  brothers  attended  a  ''general  meeting"  at  the  Phillips  ap- 
pointment, over  twenty  miles  distant,  where  for  the  first  time 
they  heard  the  young  and  eloquent  John  Walter,  who  preached 
with  wonderful  power.  The  faith  of  the  Millers  was  greatly 
strengthened  and  thereafter  they  both  opened  their  homes  as 
preaching  places  for  Albright. 

On  Easter  Day,  1803,  Albright  held  a  "general  meeting"  at 
Solomon  Miller's,  where  he  preached  with  such  extraordinary 
power  that  many  were  overcome  by  a  sense  of  sin  and  cried 
aloud  for  mercy,  while  others  fled  from  the  house  in  consterna- 
tion. We  will  again  touch  on  the  far-reaching  results  of  this 
meeting,  after  a  brief  digression. 

Some  miles  south  of  the  Millers,  in  Albany  Township,  Berks 
County,  was  situated  the  Union  Iron  Works,  consisting  of  a  blast 
furnace  and  two  forges.  The  proprietor  was  Michael  Brobst, 
a  man  of  wealth  who  had  seen  much  service  as  an  officer  in  the 
Revolution.^^  This  man,  at  the  time  we  notice  him,  was  old, 
and  his  children  were  heads  of  families.  Two  of  his  daughters, 
Magdalena  and  Maria,  were  married  to  the  brothers  George  and 
Solomon  Miller,  respectively,  and  both  of  them  with  their  hus- 
bands were  converted  under  the  preaching  of  Albright,  as  nar- 
rated. Colonel  Brobst  had  two  sons,  John  and  Michael,  Jr., 
who  were  associated  with  their  father  in  business.  These  brothers 

10  He  entered  as  captain  in  1776,  and  arose  by  promotion  to  commander 
of  his  battalion  (colonel)  at  the  close  of  the  war.  See  Pennsylvania 
Archives  (Fifth  Series),  Vol.  VIII. 


THE  FIRST  SOWING. 


59 


with  their  wives  were  also  converted  at  the  Easter  meeting  men- 
tioned. 

Colonel  Brobst  was  a  religious  paradox.  His  house  became  a 
preaching  place  for  Albright  and  his  co-laborers/^  and  yet  he 
sought  to  kill  his  son-in-law,  George  Miller,  for  being  a  minister. 
The  home  of  his  son,  John  Brobst,  also,  was  a  preaching  place  and 
a  noted  place  for  meetings.  As  a  result  of  the  Easter  meeting 
(1803)  at  Solomon  Miller's  a  class  was  formed  immediately 
thereafter  and  George  Miller  was  appointed  leader. 

We  now  turn  our  attention  to  another  locality  where  Albright 
gained  access  in  the  early  part  of  his  ministry.  About  ten  miles 
southwest  of  the  Union  Iron  Works  is  the  town  of  Hamburg, 
on  the  Schuylkill  River,  and  immediately  west  of  this  is  Bern 
Township,  in  Berks  County.  At  Hamburg  Albright  preached 
as  early  as  1801,  at  the  home  of  a  man  named  Diehl.  In  Bern 
Township  the  preaching  places  were  the  homes  of  John  Miller, 
a  brother  of  George  and  Solomon;  Valentine  Brobst,  Jacob 
Kline,  and  P.  Dundore.  Frederick  Miller,  the  youngest  son  of 
the  Miller  brothers,  w&s  also  one  of  the  early  converts.  Later  he 
removed  to  Lehigh  County  where  he  died  in  1854,  leaving  a  large 
estate  to  the  Evangelical  Association.  A  class  was  formed  in 
Bern  in  1805.  In  Lynn  Township,  Lehigh  County,  Albright  also 
gained  open  doors  at  the  homes  of  George  Custer  and  Sol.  W. 
Frederick,  soon  after  1800.  In  1842  the  widow  of  Custer 
died,  leaving  a  substantial  bequest^^  to  the  Evangelical  Associa- 
tion. 

Trans-Susquehanna. — As  previously  noted,  no  definite  traces 
of  Albright's  work  west  of  the  Susquehanna  River  appear  prior 
to  1800.  Soon  after  that  date,  however,  we  find  him  following 
in  the  wake  of  the  United  Brethren  pioneers  who  before  the 
above  date  had  visited  many  localities  in  Perry,  Juniata,  Snyder, 
Union,  and  Centre  Counties.^^  In  this  connection  it  must  be  re- 
membered that  the  Methodist,  the  Otterbein,  and  the  Albright 
evangelists  had  many  preaching  places  in  common.  Most  of  the 
churches  were  closed  against  them  and  they  therefore  held  their 

11  Vide  "Albright  and  Miller,"  p.  97. 

12  Vide  "Evangelical  Annals,"  p.  96,  for  an  account  of  the  legacies. 

13  Vide  Newcomer's  Journal,  p.  75. 


6o 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


services  in  houses  and  barns,  the  owners  of  which  permitted  all 
evangelists  to  hold  meetings.  Many  "big  meetings"  were  held 
jointly,  as  appears  in  the  journals  of  the  evangelists  that  have 
been  preserved.  It  will  be  our  purpose  in  this  connection  to  trace 
the  beginnings  of  Albright's  work  in  the  regions  under  con- 
sideration. 

From  the  journal  of  Bishop  Newcomer,  of  the  United  Breth- 
ren Church,  we  note  that  he  preached  at  the  homes  of  Abraham 
Eyer,  Martin  Dreisbach,  Jr.,  John  Aurand,  Sr.,  and  John 
Rank,  Sr.,  in  Union  County;  John  Rough,  in  Juniata  County; 
John  Walter,  Sr.,  in  Snyder  County,  and  J.  Steffy,  in  Centre 
County,  as  early  as  1800,  and  as  all  the  foregoing  homes  are 
known  to  have  been  preaching  places  of  Albright  a  few  years 
later,  it  is  a  fair  presumption  that  these  places  were  included  in 
his  itinerary  some  years  earlier. 

The  Thomas  Class. — Soon  after  1800,  Albright  gained  en- 
trance in  a  community  in  Decatur  Township,  Mifflin  County. 
Their  pastor  was  a  drunkard  and  the  moral  condition  of  the 
place  was  deplorable  in  the  extreme.  The  principal  men  who 
received  Albright  into  their  homes  were  John  Thomas^*  and 
David  Herpster,  Sr.  Both  had  been  soldiers  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, the  former  an  officer,  and  had  removed  to  this  locality  from 
near  Shafferstown,  Lebanon  County.  Both  Thomas  and  Herp- 
ster were  well  advanced  in  life,  and  their  children  mostly  mar- 

14  John  Thomas  was  a  grandson  of  Durst  Thomas,  who  came  from 
Germany  in  1736,  and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  at  Shafferstown,  in 
Lebanon  County.  In  1767  John  Thomas  was  married  to  Anna  Mary  Reiss, 
of  Mill  Creek,  with  whom  he  reared  a  large  family.  He  was  a  lieutenant 
in  Colonel  Greenawalt's  First  Battalion,  Lancaster  County  Militia,  in  the 
Revolution,  Pennsylvania  Archives,  Vol.  VII  (Fifth  Series).  Their  family 
of  ten  children  with  their  families,  so  far  as  known,  all  became  members 
of  the  Church  under  Albright.  They  were  Barbara,  bom  1771,  married 
John  Harpster;  Catharine,  married  George  Harpster,  and  died  at  Carey, 
Ohio,  1854,  aged  80  years;  Susan,  married  Fred  Harpster;  Margaret, 
born  1783,  married  Jacob  Treas;  Elisabeth,  married  John  Lauzer;  John 

(Rev.),  born  1785;  Mary,  married  Jacob  Reber;   ,  Mrs.  Isaac  Gill; 

and  George,  and  Mrs.  Fred  Wales.  Andrew  Wender  also  was  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier.  He  died  in  Ohio  in  1846,  aged  83  years.  His  sons, 
Mathias  and  Daniel,  were  Evangelical  preachers.  The  latter  died  in  1887, 
at  Blue  Springs,  Neb.,  aged  96  years. 


THE  FIRST  SOWING. 


6l 


ried  and  heads  of  families.  Andrew  Wonder,  who  had  lately 
moved  hither  from  York  County,  also  opened  his  home  as  a 
preaching  place.  Albright's  adherents  numbered  near  a  dozen 
families  and  constituted  the  strongest  local  constituency  in  his 
entire  work. 

In  the  fall  of  1802,  Albright  and  his  assistant,  John  Walter, 
held  a  general  meeting  in  the  orchard  of  Thomas.  This  was  the 
second  meeting  of  the  kind  in  his  ministry,  and  being  a  novelty 
in  this  community,  it  attracted  great  crowds  of  people.  On  Sun- 
day morning  Albright  preached  from  the  words,  "I  am  the  Light 
of  the  world"  (Jno.  7:  12).  The  sermon  had  a  wonderful  ef- 
fect ;  many  persons  were  converted,  and  the  work  spread  to  other 
places.  The  following  June  (1803),  a  similar  meeting  was  held 
by  the  same  evangelists  at  the  same  place  which  was  even  more 
successful.  Following  these  meetings  the  converted  people 
formed  themselves  into  a  class  for  mutual  edification,  in  1803. 
This  class  (now  Lauver's  class),  has  had  a  continuous  existence 
ever  since,  and  is  the  oldest  organization  in  the  entire  Evangelical 
connection. 

Not  only  is  the  Lauver  class  the  oldest,  but  the  church  in 
which  it  worships  represents  the  oldest  realty  in  our  connection. 
In  1812  Father  Thomas  sold  part  of  his  farm  to  his  son.  Rev. 
John  Thomas,  in  the  deed  of  which  he  describes  one  of  the 
bounds  as  being  ''my  church  land,"  thus  showing  that  he  had 
previously  dedicated  land  for  Church  purposes.  Father  Thomas 
died  in  1813,  and  was  buried  on  his  "church  land,"  his  son  John 
being  the  officiating  minister.  About  ten  years  later,  his  wife 
also  died  and  was  buried  by  his  side.  Many  years  after  the 
death  of  Father  Thomas,  his  grandson,  the  late  Jacob  Lauver, 
by  deed  of  gift  carried  out  the  design  of  the  patriarch  and  con- 
veyed the  "church  land"  legally  to  the  society.  The  officers  of 
this  first  class  (1803),  were  Frederick  Herpster,  leader,  and 
Isaac  Gill,  assistant,  both  sons-in-law  of  Father  Thomas.  John 
Thomas,  the  son,  was  made  a  local  preacher  by  Albright  in  1807, 
as  also  Frederick  Herpster,  near  the  same  time.  Between  1822 
and  1826  the  Wonder  family,  Rev.  John  Thomas,  and  all  the 
sons-in-law  of  Father  Thomas,  with  the  exception  of  Jacob 


62 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


Lauver,  removed  to  Ohio,  where  the  descendants  have  borne  a 
conspicuous  part  in  building  up  the  Evangelical  work. 

In  Pfoutz  Valley,  Juniata  County,  Albright  and  Walter  are 
also  known  to  have  conducted  meetings  as  early  as  1803.  Here 
was  a  Reformed  church  and  a  small  congregation  much  neglected 
as  already  noted.  Bishop  Newcomer  preached  here  in  1800.  at 
the  house  of  John  Rough,  but  nothing  definite  was  accomplished 
until  the  advent  of  Albright.  The  preaching  places  were  at  the 
homes  of  John  Rough  and  J.  Diehl.  Conversions  occurred  here 
under  Albright  and  Walter  in  1803,  and  ere  the  close  of  the  year 
the  ''praying  people"  were  organized  into  a  class. 

Ordination  of  Albright. — The  year  1803  closed  with  the  most 
important  event  in  the  ministerial  career  of  Albright.  He  had 
now  labored  seven  full  years  in  the  gospel  ministry.  He  had  es- 
tablished many  regular  preaching  places,  and  many  people  re- 
garded him  as  their  spiritual  guide.  Besides  this,  God  had  given 
him  two  helpers  in  the  work  to  which  he  was  called.  Notwith- 
standing all  this,  he  had  no  ministerial  standing,  for  the  reason 
that  he  was  not  ordained.  In  another  connection  we  discuss  his 
peculiar  relations  to  his  contemporaries,  and  the  probable  reasons 
why  he  did  not  seek  ordination  through  one  of  the  old  denomina- 
tions. Be  that  as  it  may,  the  time  had  come  when  his  adherents 
decided  to  place  the  seal  of  their  approval  on  his  ministry  by 
ordination.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know^  who  took  the  initia- 
tive in  this  matter  and  issued  the  call,  but  the  records  are  silent 
and  we  are  left  to  speculation. 

On  November  3,  1803,  Albright  and  his  assistants.  Walter 
and  Leeser,  and  fourteen  of  his  principal  laymen,  assembled  at 
the  home  of  Samuel  Leeser,  in  Berks  County,  to  confer  on  their 
chief  pastor  an  ecclesiastical  status  as  they  understood  it.  While 

15  The  St.  Tames'  Evangelical  church,  about  six  miles  northwest  of 
Liverpool,  Pa.,  now  represents  this  old  class.  John  Rough  died  in  1846, 
aged  70  3'ears.  His  wife  died  near  Berrean  Springs,  Mich.,  whither  his  son. 
John  Rough,  Jr.,  had  removed.  Father  Rough  bequeathed  $200  to  the 
Evangelical  Charitable  Society.  Mrs.  Diehl  died  1858,  aged  93  years. 
Mrs.  Julianna  Fr>'  died  in  1857.  aged  88  years.  In  the  obituaries  of  all 
these  people  their  relation  to  Albright  and  the  early  Evangelical  work  is 
stated. 


THE  FIRST  SOWING. 


63 


they  were  unable  to  place  him  in  the  line  of  the  "apostolic  suc- 
cession," so  called,  they  were  nevertheless  following  the  example 
of  other  pious  believers,  whose  action  the  great  Head  of  the 
Church  approved,  as  is  shown  by  subsequent  results.  Those  pres- 
ent, besides  the  two  ministers,  Walter  and  Leaser  and  their 
host,  were  Peter  Walter,  father  of  Rev.  John  Walter; 
Charles  Bisse;  George  Phillips  and  his  sons,  Jacob  and  Con- 
rad; Adam  Miller  and  Jacob  Riedy,  the  latter  five  from  the 
Phillips  class ;  the  brothers  George  and  Solomon  Miller,  Chris- 
tian and  Michael  Brobst,  from  the  Miller  class,  and  Solomon 
W.  Fredreci,  of  Lehigh  County.  All  the  classes  were  represented. 
The  assembly  was  in  session  several  days  and  acted  in  a  legis- 
lative capacity.    They  transacted  the  following  business : 

(1)  They  declared  themselves  an  ecclesiastical  organization, 
and  adopted  the  Holy  Scriptures  as  their  guide  and  rule  of 
faith. 

(2)  They  declared  Jacob  Albright  a  minister  of  the  gospel, 
in  the  full  sense  of  the  word,  and  recognized  him  as  their  teacher 
and  overseer. 

(3)  He  was  solemnly  ordained  as  such  by  his  assistants, 
Walter  and  Leeser. 

(4)  He  was  then  given  a  certificate  signed  by  all  present  as 
follows : 

Prom  the  Elders  and  Brethren  of  His  Society  of  Evangelical 
Friends: 

We  the  undersigned  Evangelical  and  Christian  friends,  de- 
clare and  recognize  Jacob  Albright  as  a  genuine  {'Wahrhaf- 
tigen")  Evangelical  preacher  in  word  and  deed,  and  a  believer  in 
the  Universal  Christian  Church  and  the  communion  of  saints. 
This  testify  zve  as  brethren  and  elders  of  his  Society.  (Gemeinde.) 

Given  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  Nov.  5,  180^. 

The  certificate  was  signed  by  the  two  ministers  who  ordained 
him,  and  the  fourteen  ''Brethren  and  Elders." 

In  closing  this  period  we  see  how  God  blessed  the  work  of 
Albright  in  the  conversion  of  many  souls.  Five  classes  had  been 
organized,  namely,  Walter's,  Leeser's,  Phillips',  Zimmerman's 
and  Miller's,  besides  the  provisional  classes  west  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna River.   General  meetings  had  been  introduced  and  had 


64 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


been  held  as  follows:  The  first  at  Leesers'  in  June,  1802;  the 
second  at  Thomas'  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year ;  the  third  a 
few  weeks  later  at  Conrad  Phillips',  the  fourth  at  Solomon 
Miller's  over  Easter,  1803,  and  another  at  Thomas'  after  harvest 
of  the  same  year.  These  meetings  were  held  over  Saturday  and 
Sunday,  and  were  generally  attended  by  the  ministers  and  laity 
from  far  and  near. 


TRKSKNT  APPEARANCE  (1917)  OE  "OLD  ST.  ELIAS"  CHURCH  AT  MlEEEIN- 
BURG,  PA.,  IN  WHICH  ALBRIGHT  AND  COWORKERS  FREQUENTLY  PREACHED. 
TT  WAS  HERE  HE  PREACHED  'J'llE  GREAT  SERMON  DESCRIBED  BY  EAT  HER  RANK. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


The  Widening  Field. 

Alexander  Jamison — Division  of  the  work — Northumberland  Circuit — 
Barly  preaching  places — A  year  of  great  trial — Miller's  successful 
labors — Forms  many  new  classes — The  Millbach  and  Cocalico — Re- 
markable incidents  at  New  Berlin — The  opened  door — Far-reaching  re- 
sults— Preaching  in  "The  State  House"  at  York — The  work  in  Virginia 
— Maryland — Trans- A  llegheny. 

THE  work  was  now  divided  into  two  circuits.  The  new  field 
was  called  Northumberland,  being  mostly  embraced  in  a 
county  of  that  name,  which  was  later  divided  into  many  others. 
John  Walter  and  Alexander  Jamison  were  appointed  to  this  new 
charge.  Their  field  of  labor  lay  in  the  present  counties  of  Perry, 
Juniata,  Snyder,  Mifflin,  Union,  and  Centre,  most  of  which  were 
formed  out  of  Northumberland  County.  Besides  this  region, 
they  also  preached  beyond  the  Allegheny  Mountains,  in  Bed- 
ford and  Somerset  Counties. 

Before  considering  the  spread  of  the  Evangelical  work  in  gen- 
eral, we  will  enumerate  the  preaching  places  on  the  new  field, 
omitting  those  in  the  western  part  of  the  state,  which  will  be 
considered  later.  We  do  this  in  order  to  show  what  Albright, 
almost  single-handed,  had  accomplished  before  the  formation  of 
the  circuit,  and  also  for  the  reason  that  the  reader  will  note,  later 
on,  that  almost  every  home  where  preaching  was  maintained  be- 
came a  centre  of  Evangelical  influence  and  wlhere  classes  were 
subsequently  formed.  In  this  we  see  how  God  honored  the  piet-^ 
and  devotion  of  the  families  who  were  willing  to  dedicate  their 
home  as  sanctuaries  and  suffer  reproach  and  persecution  for  the 
sake  of  the  gospel. 

We  will  now  take  a  survey  of  the  field  by  accompanying  one  of 
the  evangelists  on  one  of  his  rounds  on  the  eastern  end  of  his 
circuit,  in  1804.  Coming  from  the  old,  we  reach  the  new  circuit 
at  John  Rough's,  in  Pfoutz  Valley,  Juniata  County,  which  we 

5  65 


66 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


have  already  considered.  We  may  here  note  that  the  Evangelical 
work  has  continued  at  this  place  since  1802  and  has  spread  far 
and  wide.  Continuing  northward  about  fifteen  miles,  w'e  reach 
the  home  of  John  Swartz,  in  Chapman  Township,  Snyder  County. 
Then  northwest  to  John  Walter,  Sr.,  on  Middle  Creek,  whose 
home  was  a  preaching  place  for  Bishop  Newcomer  prior  to  1800. 
Still  farther  westward,  on  Black  Oak  Ridge,  lived  William 
Becker,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  met  Albright  at  the  great 
meetings  at  Father  Thomas'  in  1802.^  At  Freeburg  lived 
Charles  Straub,  and  several  miles  from  him  was  the  home  of 
Henry  Smith.  Then  there  were  preaching  places  at  the  Beaver 
Dam  ('Beaver  Springs),  whither  the  work  had  spread  from  the 
Thomas  appointment,  which  was  an  hour's  ride  west  of  this. 

Having  already  noted  the  latter  place,  we  now  return  east  to 
the  Susquehanna  River.  At  Winfield,  Union  County,  we  reach 
the  home  of  Abraham  Eyer,  where  the  evangelists  preached  as 
early  as  1800.  We  now  proceed  westward  up  Dry  Valley  about 
six  miles,  and  reach  the  home  of  Michael  Maize,  who  with  his 
widowed  mother  and  several  brothers  had  moved  hither  from 
Shafferstown. 

Two  miles  farther  on  w)as  New  Berlin,  later  the  county  seat  of 
Union  County,  and  for  nearly  half  a  century  the  headquarters  of 
the  Evangelical  Association.  Here  we  turn  northward  and  cross 
the  Shamokin  M;ountain  into  Buffalo  Valley  and  soon  reach  the 
Dreisbach  church.  This  vicinity  was  the  most  important  place 
in  the  early  history  of  the  Evangelical  Association.  The  first 
preaching  places — some  doubtless  before  the  formation  of  the 
circuit — were  at  the  homes  of  Martin  Dreisbach,  Jr.;  John 
Aurand,  and  his  sons.  Rev.  Dietrick  and  John ;  Philip  Hoy  and 
George  Wendel  Wolf.  Westward  a  few  miles  lived  Elias 
Youngman,  the  founder  of  Youngmanstown,  now  Mifflinburg. 
Prior  to  1800,  Youngman  built  the  St.  Elias  Reformed  church 
which  was  open  to  all  evangelists.  In  this  old  landmark  (still 
standing).  Bishop  Newcomer,  Albright,  and  many  others  fre- 
quently preached. 

I  Vide  "Flashlights  on  Evangelical  History,"  by  the  present  author,  for 
an  interesting  account  of  "Squire"  Becker. 


THE  WIDENING  FIELD. 


67 


We  now  return  to  the  river  at  New  Columbia,  about  ten  miles 
from  Mifflinburg.  Here  lived  John  Rank,  Sr.,  who  had  moved 
hither  from  Lancaster  County  where  he  had  lived  neighbor  to 
Albright.  Bishop  Newcomer  preached  in  his  house  here  in 
1800.  In  the  house  of  Rank  and  his  neighbor  Jacob  Hoch  (now 
High),  Albright  and  colleagues  preached  before  the  formation 
of  the  new  circuit.  This  was  the  most  northern  appointment  on 
the  charge. 

We  now  retrace  our  steps  through  Buffalo  Valley.  Going 
westward  a  full  day's  journey,  we  reach  the  east  end  of  Penns 
Valley,  Centre  County.  Here  at  Woodward,  were  several  preach- 
ing places.  We  first  note  Captain  Michael  Motz,  who  had  ren- 
dered such  valuable  service  in  the  Revolution  in  defending  the 
frontiers  against  the  Indians.-  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  four 
daughters  of  Captain  Motz  married  four  brothers  named  Wise, 
as  follows :  Eve,  Susan,  Catharine,  and  Rebecca  married  John, 
George,  Jacob,  and  Conrad  Wise,  respectively.  All  these  are 
said  to  have  been  early  Evangelicals.  Bishop  Newcomer  and 
his  associates  found  entrance  with  Captain  Motz  in  1800,  and 
without  doubt  Albright  also.  Captain  Motz  never  left  his 
Church,  but  his  family  were  prominent  in  the  early  days  of  the 
Evangelical  Association.  The  house  of  John  Wise,  his  son-in- 
law,  was  the  chief  preaching  place  of  the  Albrights  from  1802 
to  his  death  in  1844. 

From  Woodward  we  go  Westward  up  Penns  Valley  ten  miles, 
to  Millheim.  Here  we  reach  the  house  of  George  Swartz.  Con- 
tinuing our  journey,  an  hour's  ride  brings  us  to  the  home  of 
Abraham  Ream.  His  house  was  a  preaching  place  in  1802.  In 
1803  Albright  baptized  Ream's  son,  Michael.  We  push  on  to  the 
home  of  John  StejEfy,  near  the  present  town  of  Lemont.  Here 
Newcomer  and  other  evangelists  preached  as  early  as  1800.  It 
was  in  this  home  that  Rev.  Matthias  Betz,  the  spiritual  father 

2  Captain  Motz  commanded  Eighth  Company, Third  Battalion,  Northum- 
berland Militia  (Pennsylvania  Archives,  Fifth  Series,  Vol.  VIII.  p.  654). 
He  was  born  1738,  in  Berks  County,  and  before  the  Revolution,  with  his 
brothers,  George  and  John,  removed  to  (now)  Snyder  County.  Captain 
Motz  died  in  1823.  The  Motz  family  Bible,  brought  with  them  from  Ger- 
many, in  1731,  is  in  possession  of  the  author  of  this  work. 


68 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


of  Bishop  Seybert,  died  in  1813.  This  was  the  west  end  of  this 
part  of  the  circuit.  From  here  the  evangehsts  could  go  south 
over  the  Seven  Mountains,  or  westward  over  the  Alleghenies  to 
Morrison's  Cove,  Bedford  County,  and  Wills  Creek,  near  Cum- 
berland, Maryland,  over  a  hundred  miles  distant,  all  of  which 
was  part  of  the  new  circuit. 

The  year  1804  seems  to  have  been  a  season  of  great  hardship 
and  trial  for  Albright  and  his  coworkers.  We  learn  of  no  re- 
vivals or  ingatherings.  ''They  that  sow  in  tears,  shall  reap  in 
joy"  (Ps.  126:5),  is  a  promise  abundantly  realized,  however, 
in  the  crowning  success  of  the  following  year. 

With  the  year  1805  a  new  era  opened  in  the  work  of  Albright. 
The  ranks  of  his  little  ministerial  band  were  weakened  by  the  re- 
tirement of  Abraham  Leaser  during  the  winter.  This  faithful 
man  of  God  had  broken  his  health  in  his  few:  itinerant  years,  and 
passed  to  his  reward  during  the  summer  of  1805.  Great  as  was 
this  loss  to  the  work,  it  was  fully  compensated  by  the  appearance 
on  the  field  of  one  destined  to  be  the  strongest  factor  in  the  min- 
istry of  Albright,  as  also  his  immediate  successor.  The  new 
accession  was  George  Miller,  one  of  the  notable  trophies  of  Al- 
bright's early  ministry.  In  a  previous  chapter  the  reader  will 
note  the  part  this  brother  took  in  the  formulative  period  of  the 
work.  He  was  the  best  equipped  for  the  ministry  of  any  hitherto 
engaged. 

Miller's  Successful  Labors. — In  the  month  of  April,  1805, 
Miller  was  assigned  by  Albright  to  labor  in  Lancaster,  Lebanon, 
and  Dauphin  Counties.  As  may  be  seen  in  a  previous  connection, 
the  Evangelical  work  was  already  established  in  this  region,  but 
no  organizations  had  been  effected.  Soon  after  Miller's  appoint- 
ment occurred  an  incident  of  far-reaching  importance.  In  West 
Cocalico  Township,  Lancaster  County,  near  the  line  of  Lebanon, 
he  was  entertained  by  Father  Lesher  and  was  given  permission 
to  preach  in  his  house.  This  was  only  a  few  miles  from  the 
Reformed  church  on  the  Muehlbach  (Mill  Creek),  where  the 
Leshers,  Brickers,  Beckers,^  Lefflers,  and  others  who  after- 

3  The  Beckers  were  the  children  of  John  George  Becker,  who  setded 
in  the  Muehlbach  prior  to  1740.  He  died  prior  to  1800,  aged  92  years. 
In  1767  he  built  a  large  stone  mansion,  still  standing  in  good  condition. 


THE  WIDENING  FIELD. 


69 


wards  became  Evangelical  pillars,  were  members.  Some  of 
these  people  attended  the  services  of  Miller  at  Lesher's,  with  the 
result  that  a  great  work  of  grace  was  begun  in  this  community. 
The  Beckers,  especially,  were  well-to-do  and  of  high  standing 
in  their  church,  Samuel  being  a  deacon.  The  revival  that  at- 
tended this  work  was  the  most  extensive  that  had  hitherto  oc- 
curred in  the  Albright  Connection,  and  a  class  was  organized, 
including  the  following  heads  of  families :  John  Lesher  and  his 
family;  the  brothers  George,  Samuel,  John  Jacob,  Frederick, 
and  Michael  Becker,  all  heads  of  families;  also  John  Leffler 
and  wife,  Julianna;  Fred  Kissinger  and  wife,  Barbara;  Mrs. 
Leffler  and  Mrs.  Kissinger  were  sisters  to  the  Beckers,  also 
Christena  Becker,  another  sister,  who  later  married  Rev.  John 
Walter,  Albright's  first  assistant ;  then  also  Jacob  Gleim,  Jacob 
Bricker,  John  Grumbein,  and  the  Zentmayer  family  from  the 
vicinity  of  Shafferstown  some  miles  west.  Of  the  foregoing, 
Michael  Becker  lived  in  Dauphin,  and  John  Jacob  Becker 
in  York  County,  where  their  homes  became  centres  of  Evan- 
gelical influence.  In  Cocalico,  Lancaster  County,  and  not  far 
from  Father  Lesher,  lived  the  Wengers.  Several  of  this  name 
opened  their  homes  as  preaching  places.  On  one  occasion,  as  Al- 
bright preached  in  the  house  of  John  Wenger  the  floor  gave  way 
because  of  the  great  crowd. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Lebanon,  Miller  preached  at  the  homes  of 
Jacob  and  Henry  Eby.  At  the  home  of  the  latter  the  first  formal 
ordination  took  place,  in  1809;*  also  preached  on  the  streets  of 
Lebanon,  but  without  any  immediate  success.  He  also  organized 
a  class  in  Bern  Township,  Berks  County,  where  the  work  was 
begun  several  years  previous.  Likewise  at  Jonestown  and  Fish- 
ing Creek  Valley,  where  Albright  had  sown  the  good  seed  of 
the  gospel. 

In  this  house  Albright  held  his  first  conference  in  1807.  Samuel  Becker 
was  killed  in  1809;  Michael  Becker,  of  Dauphin  County,  died  1818;  John 
Jacob,  of  York  County,  was  born  1757,  died  1822;  George,  at  whose  house 
Albright  died,  was  born  1767,  died  1855;  Frederick,  the  youngest  son, 
died  in  Ohio.  Jacob  Bricker  died  1840,  aged  73  years.  Jacob  Gleim  died 
1837,  aged  71  years.  John  Grumbein  died  1868,  aged  90  years. 
4  Vide,  "Evangelical  Annals,"  p.  45. 


70 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


In  the  fall  of  this  year  a  great  general  meeting  was  held  at 
Michael  Becker's,  in  Hanover  Township,  Dauphin  County,  at- 
tended by  Albright,  Walter,  and  Miller.  The  meetings  were 
held  in  the  orchard,  and  were  attended  by  great  multitudes.  Al- 
bright and  Walter  preached  with  great  power  and  many  con- 
versions occurred.  Here  Miller  also  formed  a  class.  During 
this  year  Jamison  was  employed  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  work 
and  Walter  on  the  new  circuit,  while  Albright  had  the  super- 
vision of  the  whole  and  consequently  labored  harder  than  any  of 
the  others. 

We  have  already  noted  Albright's  beginnings  in  Penns  Val- 
ley, Centre  County.  In  1805  occurred  a  most  important  event 
at  Millheim,  in  the  heart  of  that  valley.  Many  new  homes  were 
opened  for  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  Hitherto  Albright  had 
preached  near  the  town,  but  now  a  Methodist  brother  in  the 
town,  Paul  Bachman,  opened  his  doors  to  the  evangelists. 

Some  miles  north  of  Millheim,  in  Brush  Valley,  lived  a  well- 
to-do  man  named  Christopher  Spangler.  Meeting  him  one  day, 
Bachman  invited  him  to  come  over  to  his  house  and  hear  Al- 
bright preach.  At  the  time  appointed  Spangler  went  to  the 
service  and  was  so  well  pleased  that  he  invited  Albright  to  come 
over  to  Brush  Valley  and  preach  at  his  house.  He  had  just  com- 
pleted a  large  stone  mansion,  which  is  still  standing.  This  fine 
home  now  became  an  Evangelical  sanctuary,  and  the  work  spread 
in  all  directions. 

The  Open  Door  at  New  Berlin. — In  the  spring  of  this  year 
(1805),  Albright,  in  company  with  Walter  and  Miller,  held  a 
number  of  big  meetings  on  the  new  circuit.  The  places  visited 
Were  Penns,  Buffalo,  and  Dry  Valleys.  One  of  the  meetings  was 
held  in  the  St.  Elias  church,  at  Mifflinburg,  where  Albright 
preached  with  extraordinary  power,  as  narrated  in  another  con- 
nection. On  the  Monday  following  this  meeting  the  evangelists 
dined  at  the  house  of  Michael  Maize,  near  New  Berlin.  During 
this  visit  Albright  requested  Maize  to  secure  the  school  house 
at  New  Berlin  for  Walter  to  preach  in.  Permission  was  secured 
and  Walter  preached  there  for  some  time  unmolested.  Opposi- 
tion, however,  broke  out,  and  late  in  the  fall,  upon  the  arrival  of 
Walter  to  fill  his  appointment,  he  found  the  door  barred  against 


THE  WIDENING  FIELD. 


71 


him.  The  evening  vvas  cahn  and  beautiful,  and  the  moon  shin- 
ing brightly.  The  concourse  of  people  was  large,  from  the  fact 
that  it  was  known  that  the  door  would  be  closed  against  Walter. 
The  undaunted  evangelist,  however,  took  a  position  on  a  large, 
flat  stone  that  served  as  a  step  to  the  entrance.  Mr.  Maize  was 
by  his  side,  and  on  the  stone  sat  his  wife,  Barbara,  holding  her 
six  months'  old  babe  in  her  arms.  Their  daughter,  Barbara,  five 
years  of  age,  also  sat  by  her  side.  Walter  opened  the  service  in 
regular  form,  with  song  and  prayer,  after  which  he  delivered  an 
address  of  marvellous  eloquence  and  power.  In  the  midst  of  an 
eloquent  outburst  he  exclaimed,  ''God  has  opened  for  Himself  a 
door  in  New  Berlim,  and  He  will  build  up  His  work  here  in  spite 
of  the  opposition  of  hell  and  wicked  men."  As  he  said  this  the 
people  w'ere  startled  to  hear  a  clanging  sound  inside,  and  to  see 
the  door,  which  had  been  secured  within  by  a  cross  bar,  flung 
open  as  by  hands  unseen.  This  account  the  author  first  heard  in 
his  youth,  from  the  lips  of  aged  ministers,  but  gave  it  little  cre- 
dence. But  in  1868  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  her  who^  had 
been  present  as  a  babe  held  in  her  mother's  arms,  and  who  was 
then  the  widow  of  Rev.  James  Barber,  an  Evangelical  minister ; 
also  her  older  sister,  Barbara,  then  the  wife  of  the  venerable 
John  Rank,  Esq.  From  the  latter  as  an  eye  witness  the  facts 
relating  to  the  meeting  in  St.  Elias  church  were  obtained  and 
from  his  companion  were  obtained  the  facts  relating  to  the  visit 
of  the  evangelists  at  her  father's  house,  and  also  the  incident  of 
the  opening  door.  The  author  also  met  several  other  persons 
who  were  present  at  the  time  of  the  strange  occurrence.  All  the 
old  ministers  and  members  regarded  it  as  miraculous.  The 
reader  may  draw^  his  own  conclusions,  with  the  following  in- 
dubitable facts  to  help  him : 

The  prophecy  of  the  evangelist  was  literally  and  directly  ful- 
filled, (i)  The  sermon  was  followed  by  a  revival  and  a  class 
was  formed  in  less  than  a  year.  (2)  The  first  church  edifice  of 
Albright's  following  was  erected  in  181 6  within  a  short  distance 
of  where  that  sermon  was  preached.  (3)  The  first  Publishing 
House  of  the  denomination  was  started  there  in  181 5,  and  re- 
mained until  1854,  when  it  was  removed  to  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
(4)  Der  Christliche  Botschafter,  the  German  organ  of  the 


72 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


Church,  was  first  printed  in  this  establishment  (1836-1854),  and 
later  attained  the  largest  circulation  of  any  German  religious 
periodical  in  the  world.  (5)  The  General  Missionary  Society 
of  the  Church  was  organized  within  an  hour's  ride  of  that  place 
in  1836.  (6)  Union  Seminary  (later  enlarged  to  Central  Penn- 
sylvania College),  the  first  permanent  institution  of  learning 
of  the  Church,  was  founded  there  in  1854.  Not  the  least  re- 
markable is  the  additional  fact,  that  the  little  babe  which  her 
mother  clutched  to  her  bosom  as  she  sprang  to  her  feet  when  the 
door  of  the  school  house  flew  open,  lived  to  see  all  these  great 
providential  unfoldings,  and  after  sharing  for  nearly  half  a  cen- 
tury the  hardships  of  an  Evangelical  itinerant  preacher,  educated 
her  younger  children  in  this  first  seminary,  and  in  death  was  laid 
to  rest  quite  near  her  parents. 

Thus  we  see  that  New  Berlin  was  for  nearly  half  a  century  the 
headquarters  of  the  Evangelical  Association,  and  the  manner  in 
which  the  prophecy  of  the  evangelist  was  fulfilled,  must  ever  re- 
main a  marvel  and  a  theme  of  thanksgiving  and  praise  to  all  who 
read  the  history  of  the  Church. 

The  Franklin  Circuit. — Although  this  circuit  was  not  formed 
until  1810,  it  was  nevertheless  considered  a  separate  field  as  early 
as  1807,  when  Rev.  Jacob  Fry  was  sent  to  serve  it,  but  who  after 
a  few  months'  service,  was  silenced  by  Albright  for  a  misde- 
meanor. The  name  "Franklin"  was  derived  from  Franklin 
County,  in  which  some  of  the  most  important  appointments  were 
located.  It  embraced  all  the  Evangelical  work  west  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna River  and  south  of  the  Juniata  River,  westward  into 
Maryland  and  Virginia.  The  foundations  of  this  work  were  laid 
by  Albright  prior  to  1800,  but  developed  more  slowly  than  any 
other  part  of  his  great  field. 

As  we  take  a  survey  of  this  field  we  note  that  all  the  places 
named,  save  one,  are  still  Evangelical,  notably  York  and  Johns- 
town, which  places  are  Evangelical  strongholds.  Beginning  in 
the  East,  we  note  York  County,  which  now  has  more  Evangelical 
churches  than  any  other  in  the  entire  connection.  In  Windsor 
Township  Albright  and  colleagues  preached  at  the  home  of  John 
Jacob  Becker,  who,  as  we  have  seen,  was  a  member  of  the  fam- 
ily of  that  name  in  Lebanon  County.  At  Frysville,  near  Becker's, 


THE  WIDENING  FIELD. 


73 


was  another  preaching  place  where  a  class  was  formed  in  1810. 
West  of  this  they  preached  in  the  court  house  at  York,  the  county 
seat.  This  was  a  historic  building.  It  was  there  that  the  Conti- 
nental Congress  reassembled  when  it  fled  from  Philadelphia,  dur- 
ing the  British  invasion  in  1777  and  1778.  Some  of  the  greatest 
events  in  the  history  of  the  Revolution  occurred  in  this  edifice. 
It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  the  Evangelical  preachers  continued 
to  preach  in  this  town  over  thirty  years  without  an  organization. 
There  are  now  (1917)  eight  Evangelical  churches  in  the  place. 

Northwest  of  York,  in  the  vicinity  of  Mount  Royal,  Walter 
had  a  great  revival  in  1810.  We  regard  it  certain,  for  many 
reasons,  that  Jacob  Albright  also  preached  in  this  region.  Here 
lived  the  Rev.  Adam  Ettinger,^  a  Reformed  evangelist  and  asso- 
ciate of  Rev.  Anthony  Houtz,  under  whose  preaching  Albright 
was  converted,  and  Rev.  William  Otterbein,  founder  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church.  Ettinger  never  withdrew  from  the 
Reformed  Church,  but  was  considered  a  leader  in  the  evangelistic 
movement  with  which  both  the  work  of  Otterbein  and  Albright 
stood  so  vitally  connected,  and  from  which  much  of  their  follow- 
ing was  subsequently  gathered. 

As  early  as  1800  the  "Roller"  school  house  near  Ettinger's, 
and  the  home  of  Christian  Myers,  near  the  Conewago,  were 
centres  of  evangelistic  influence.  At  the  home  of  the  latter, 
Bishop  Newcomer  preached  in  1800,  and  John  Walter,  Al- 
bright's assistant,  soon  afterwards.  Myers  early  identified  him- 
self with  the  work  of  the  Evangelicals,  and  it  was  here  that  the 
widow  of  Rev.  Adam  Ettinger  and  her  son,  Adam,  Jr.,  identified 
themselves  with  the  Evangelicals  in  1810. 

5  Rev.  Adam  Ettinger  was  born  Nov.  19,  1760,  and  died  July  26,  1809. 
For  some  years  he  had  a  regular  charge  of  the  Reformed  Church,  but  ow- 
ing to  his  evangehstic  work,  which  his  denomination  at  that  day  failed  to 
conserve  properly,  the  fruits  of  his  labors  were  gathered  by  others.  His 
wife,  Anna,  a  sister  to  Rev.  J.  Stouch,  a  noted  I^utheran  missionary  and 
evangelist,  was  a  woman  of  great  intelligence  and  piety.  She  and  her  en- 
tire family  became  Evangelicals  in  1810.  She  died  1842,  aged  76  years. 
Two  of  their  sons  became  Evangelical  preachers — Adam,  Jr.,  and  Benja- 
min, both  in  1816.  Adam  was  a  very  learned  man,  and  was  the  first  editor 
of  "Der  Christliche  Botschafter."  He  died  in  York,  Pa.,  in  1877,  aged  90 
years.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  Rev.  Jesse  Ettinger,  of  the  Central  Pa. 
Conference. 


74 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


Due  west  of  Mount  Royal  about  twenty-five  miles,  at  Benders- 
ville,  Adams  County,  was  an  early  Evangelical  centre  where  a 
class  was  formed  in  1811. 

Crossing  the  South  Mountain  from  this  point,  the  Cumber- 
land Valley  is  reached.  Here,  near  the  line  of  Cumberland  and 
Franklin  Counties,  is  a  place  once  known  as  "The  Pines."  This 
was  an  Evangelical  preaching  place  in  1803,  and  doubtless  earlier. 
The  chief  preaching  place  was  at  Abraham  Buchman's.  Also 
the  families  Kanaga,  Vandersall,  and  Helm.  A  class  was  formed 
here  in  181 1,  which  was  strong  and  influential. 

Over  thirty  miles  southwest  from  The  Pines  is  Little  Cove, 
in  Franklin  County,  near  Mercersburg.  Here  all  our  first  Evan- 
gelical preachers  held  forth  at  the  house  of  George  Eisenberger, 
whose  son,  John,  became  an  Evangelical  minister  in  1821.  This 
is  the  only  place  mentioned  on  the  old  Franklin  Circuit  where  the 
Evangelical  work  has  ceased. 

Proceeding  southward  to  the  border  of  Franklin  County,  and 
extending  into  Maryland,  we  reach  a  settlement  of  people  who 
had  come  thither  from  Lancaster  and  Lebanon  Counties.  Among 
them  were  the  brothers  Jacob  and  Joseph  Wenger  and  their 
brother-in-law,  Henry  Kummler;  also  Leonard  Middlekauff 
and  J.  Strock,  and  others.  Some  of  these  people  had  been  ac- 
quainted with  Albright  before  their  removal  hither.  Bishop 
Newcomer  held  big  meetings  at  Middlekauff's  in  1802  and  later. 
It  seems  that  both  the  Evangelicals  and  United  Brethren  held 
meetings  here  in  common.  In  1810  an  Evangelical  class  was 
formed  here,  and  the  United  Brethren  evidently  lost  their  hold  in 
the  community  because  of  their  opposition  to  organization,  as 
elsewhere  stated.  At  the  house  of  Henry  Kummler  there  was 
held  in  1817,  the  ''Social  Conference,"  composed  of  delegates  from 
both  the  Ejvangelicals  and  the  United  Brethren,  to  efifect  a  union 
of  the  two  denominations.*^  Henry  Kummler  later  removed  to 
Ohio  and  was  made  a  Bishop  of  the  United  Brethren  Church. 

About  fifteen  miles  south  of  this  locality  (State  line),  our  early 
evangelists  crossed  the  Potomac  River  into  (Old)  Virginia  and 
pushed  up  the  Shenandoah  Valley.    Long  before  the  Civil  War 

6  See  "Evangelical  Annals,"  p.  172 


THE  WIDENING  FIELD. 


75 


there  were  many  Evangelical  fields  of  labor  established  in  that 
state,  but  owing  to  the  anti-slavery  tenets  of  the  Evangelical 
Association,  the  work  was  almost  wholly  destroyed  by  that  con- 
flict. Only  one  of  the  original  preaching  places  abides — the 
Snyder  appointment,  a  few  miles  from  Cherry  Run,  West  Vir- 
ginia. Here  Albright  and  co-laborers  are  known  to  have 
preached  at  the  home  of  G.  Snyder,  in  1806. 

Crossing  the  Blue  Mountains  we  reach  Bedford  County,  Pa. 
In  Morrison's  Cove,  in  this  county,  was  a  large  settlement  of 
Germans  from  the  eastern  part  of  the  state.  In  this  region  Al- 
bright and  his  associates  gained  entrance  prior  to  1804.  The 
appointments  were  near  the  present  town  of  New  Enterprise,  at 
the  homes  of  George  and  Jacob  Stull,  Henry  Schnebley, 
George  Kring,  J.  Lyons,  and  Philip  Muhleisen  (now  Milliron). 
South  of  this,  on  Wills  Creek,  near  Hyndman,  they  preached  at 
the  home  of  John  Wilhelm.  George  Miller,  who  was  appointed 
to  the  New  (Northumberland)  Circuit  in  1806,  says  in  his 
journal  that  he  left  the  work  in  Morrison's  Cove  unsupplied,  be- 
cause of  its  distance.  The  work  was  nevertheless  continued  by 
Albright  and  Walter. 

About  1806  George  Kring  and  Jacob  Stull  moved  westward 
across  the  mountains  into  Cambria  County.  Kring  located  at 
Elton,  about  ten  miles  east  of  Johnstown,  and  Stull  located  about 
three  miles  away.  They  were  visited  this  same  year  by  the 
Evangelical  preachers  and  the  locality  has  been  Evangelical 
ground  ever  since.''' 

In  1807  John  Walter  took  up  an  appointment  at  the  house  of 
Nicholas  Varner,  on  the  Frankstown  road,  four  miles  east  of 
Johnstown.  In  1807  Albright  spent  some  time  in  this  region, 
preaching  at  Kring's,  StuU's,  and  Varner's.  During  this  tour  he 
also  visited  Peter  Levergood,  the  founder  of  Johnstown.  In 
concluding  this  general  survey  of  the  evangelistic  field  of  Rev. 
Jacob  Albright  and  his  coworkers,  we  are  impressed  with  its 
vast  extent.   Almost  daily  in  the  saddle,  from  morning  till  night ; 

7  George  Kring  died  in  1844,  aged  78  years;  his  son,  Conrad  Kring, 
born  1800,  died  1887,  entered  the  Evangelical  ministry  in  1823.  Jacob  Stull 
was  the  grandfather  of  Rev.  John  Stull,  many  years  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Ohio  Conference. 


76 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


fording  streams  and  rivers  at  all  seasons ;  preaching  at  night  to 
crowded  houses  is  it  any  wonder  that  Albright  and  his  colleagues, 
Leeser,  Miller  and  Walter,  all  died  of  consumption  in  the  prime 
of  life? 

The  Breitenstein  Class. — During  the  period  under  considera- 
tion (1804-1805),  Albright  and  his  associates  also  gained  en- 
trance in  other  places  not  noted  hitherto,  where  organizations 
were  effected  subsequently.  In  the  early  part  of  his  ministry 
Albright  formed  the  acquaintance  of  Philip  Breitenstein,®  a 
prominent  man  who  lived  near  Adamstown,  Lancaster  County, 
Soon  after  1800  Breitenstein  purchased  a  farm  three  miles  south- 
west of  Lebanon,  to  which  he  removed.  In  1805  Albright  was 
given  permission  to  preach  in  his  house,  but  Breitenstein  did  not 
give  his  personal  adherence  to>  the  cause  of  the  evangelist  for 
several  years.  About  this  same  time  appointments  were  taken 
up  at  the  homes  of  Jacob  and  Henry  Eby  and  Samuel  Bein,  who 
lived  in  the  same  vicinity.  A  class  was  formed  here  in  1808, 
which  for  over  a  half  century  was  called  the  Breitenstein  class. 
Several  events  of  great  moment  to  the  work  of  Albright  occurred 
in  this  class. 

In  April,  1809,  at  the  second  conference,  the  ordination  of  a 
number  of  ministers  was  agreed  upon,  but  was  deferred  for  vari- 
ous reasons,  which  made  the  holding  of  a  mid-year  semi-official 
meeting  necessary.  At  the  aforenamed  conference  George  Mil- 
ler, the  successor  of  Albright,  had  presented  for  approval  the 
text  of  the  first  book  of  Discipline  which  he  had  prepared.  The 
conference  adopted  it  and  directed  Miller  to  publish  it.  In  the 
summer  of  1809  a  general  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of 
Henry  Eby,  near  Lebanon,  which  was  attended  by  all  the  min- 
isters in  the  traveling  connection.  The  book  of  Discipline  was 
now  printed  and  ready  for  delivery.  More  important  than  all 
else,  the  deferred  work  of  the  conference  was  completed  by  or- 

8  For  an  interesting  account  of  the  Breitenstein  family,  see  "Evangelical 
Annals,"  p.  42.  Philip  Breitenstein  was  born  1764,  and  died  1838;  he  was 
a  local  preacher  many  years ;  his  son,  John  Breitenstein,  was  born  1795, 
and  died  1878;  he  entered  the  active  ministry  in  1818.  Jacob  Eby  died  in 
1838,  aged  64  years;  Henry  Eby  died  1863,  aged  81  years;  Samuel  Bien 
died  in  Ohio,  in  1852,  aged  78  years. 


THE  WIDENING  FIELD. 


77 


daining  to  the  office  of  elder,  George  Miller,  John  Walter,  and 
John  Dreisbach.  This  was  the  first  formal  ordination  in  the 
Evangelical  denomination.  Besides  this  important  event,  the 
Breitenstein  class  had  the  honor  of  having  the  third  Evangelical 
camp-meeting  within  its  bounds  in  June,  1811,  at  Breitenstein's. 

The  Evangelical  work  spread  considerably  at  other  points  of 
the  old  circuit.  On  the  Conestoga,  in  Lancaster  County,  preach- 
ing w'as  established  at  the  homes  of  Philip  Herman,  Henry 
Wertz,  and  also  in  Manor  Township  in  the  homes  of  David 
Williams  and  Henry  Manderbach.  At  Mt.  Joy,  Samuel  Lehn^ 
opened  his  home  in  1804,  where  a  class  was  formed  prior  to  1808. 
In  1809  John  Seybert,^^  who  became  the  first  bishop  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Association,  was  class  leader. 

Near  the  present  town  of  Orwigsburg,  in  Schuylkill  County, 
lived  George  Orwig,"  a  pious  member  of  the  Reformed  Church, 
who  opened  his  home  as  a  preaching  place  for  Albright.  In  181 1 
he  removed  to  Buffalo  Valley,  Union  County.  His  descendants 
became  prominent  in  the  Evangelical  Church,  especially  Rev. 
W.  W.  Orwig,  as  editor,  author  and  bishop. 

In  Lower  Mahantongo  Valley,  west  of  Orwigsburg,  Albright 
established  a  preaching  place  at  John  Haldeman's. 

9  Samuel  Lehn  died  in  1854,  aged  82  years ;  his  son,  Rev.  Michael  Lehn, 
was  for  many  years  a  prominent  minister  of  the  Church. 

ID  Rev.  John  Seybert  was  the  son  of  Henry  Seybert,  a  Hessian  soldier  of 
the  Revolution.  He  was  born  in  Lancaster  County  in  1791 ;  entered  the 
ministry  in  1819;  elected  presiding  elder,  1825 ;  bishop  in  1839;  died  at  Flat 
Rock,  Ohio,  Jan.  4,  i860.   He  was  never  married. 

II  George  Orwig  was  a  son  of  Gotfried  Orwig,  who  came  from  Ger- 
many to  Pennsylvania.  He  died  in  Union  County,  1841,  aged  83  years, 
and  was  buried  in  the  St.  Elias'  graveyard,  at  Mifflinburg.  Bishop  William 
W.  Orwig,  a  grandson  of  George  Orwig,  was  born  1810;  entered  the 
ministry  in  1828;  presiding  elder,  1833;  general  publishing  agent  and 
editor  of  "Der  Christliche  Botschafter,"  1839;  in  the  pastorate,  1844-48; 
editor  Christliche  Botschafter,  1849;  president  of  Union  Seminary,  1856- 
59;  bishop,  1859-63;  editor  Christliche  Botschafter,  1863-67;  general 
publisher,  1867-69;  later  presiding  elder  and  pastor  in  the  Erie  Con- 
ference; author  of  several  valuable  books;  died  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  May 
29,  1889.  Gotfried  Orwig  was  born  in  1719,  and  his  wife,  Gloria  Lam- 
pert,  in  1713.  They  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania  in  1741.  The  town  of  Or- 
wigsburg perpetuates  the  family  name. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


Gathering  the  Harvest. 

The  Second  General  Assembly — Union  Pentecostal  meetings — Miller's 
continued  great  success — The  organisations — The  North  Branch  Val- 
ley— The  Dreishach  church — Far-reaching  results. 

THE  year  1806  marks  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  Albright's 
work.  It  was  a  year  of  bountiful  ingathering  of  a  harvest 
sown  in  tears  and  sorrow.  In  the  previous  chapter  we  noted  the 
many  organizations  effected  by  George  Miller  on  the  old  circuit. 
In  this  we  shall  see  him  meet  with  far  greater  success  on  the  new 
circuit  and  almost  double  the  entire  membership  of  the  connection 
within  a  year.  But  before  we  proceed  with  the  narrative  of  his 
labors  we  note  the  second  deliberative  assembly  held  by  Albright. 

The  Second  General  Assembly. — Although  there  is  no  account 
of  such  an  assembly  in  our  earlier  histories,  it  is  nevertheless  a 
fact  learned  from  the  nature  of  the  written  records  as  well  as 
tradition,  that  such  an  assembly  was  held.  The  place  of  meeting 
was  at  the  house  of  George  Becker,  near  Shafferstown,  Lebanon 
County.  The  record  itself,  as  well  as  the  business  recorded, 
show's  the  work  of  a  deliberative  assembly. 

1.  The  contributions  for  salary  were  equally  divided  between 
the  four  ministers,  Albright,  Walter,  Jamison  and  Miller. 

2.  An  additional  allowance  was  made  to  Jamison,  who  seems 
to  have  been  dissatisfied. 

3.  In  consequence  of  this,  it  was  decided  that  hereafter  no  one 
shall  be  taken  into  the  ministry  who  will  not  be  satisfied  with  his 
proportionate  share  of  the  salary. 

4.  A  new  fund  was  created,  called  the  "Briefschaft-steuer," 
which  was  a  subsidiary,  or  contingent  fund. 

5.  The  office  of  "local  preacher"  was  established,  and  Charles 
Bisse,  Solomon  Miller,  and  Jacob  Phillips  were  licensed  as  such. 

6.  The  preachers  were  given  regular  licenses. 

7.  It  Was  resolved  that  hereafter  yearly  conferences  be  held. 

78 


J.  DRKISBACH. 


GATHERING  THE  HARVEST. 


79 


The  reader  will  agree  that  these  items,  numbered  consecutively 
and  taken  from  the  official  record  of  that  year,  bear  the  marks 
of  having  been  the  result  of  deliberation  in  assembly.'  From  the 
fact  that  Miller  received  his  appointment  on  May  25th,  for  the 
new  circuit,  and  an  incident  which  the  Becker  family  say  hap- 
pened at  this  assembly,  we  infer  that  it  was  held  on  the  date 
named. 

Union  Pentecostal  Meetings." — From  the  journals  of  Bishop 
Newcomer,  of  the  United  Brethren,  and  George  Miller,  of  the 

Evangelical  Church,  we  learn  that  union  meetings  were  held  by 
the  preachers  of  these  bodies.  Miller  says  in  his  journal  that 
he  received  his  appointment  to  the  new  circuit  from  Albright 
on  May  25  (1806),  but  before  starting  for  his  field  he  attended 
such  a  meeting  near  Lancaster.  A  reference  to  Bishop  New- 
comer's journal  shows  that  this  meeting  was  held  at  the  home 
of  Christian  Hershey,  and  began  on  Saturday,  May  30th.  It 
was  attended  by  many  ministers.  Newcomer  records  that  the 
first  sermon  was  preached  on  Saturday  by  J.  Neidig,  and  the 
second  by  Jacob  Albright.  Both  preached  with  great  power.  On 
Sunday  morning  Newcomer  preached  from  the  words,  ''O  that 
Thou  wouldst  bless  me  indeed"  (i  Chron.  4:  10).  On  Monday, 
June  2d,  they  had  love  feast  which  was  "a.  real  pentecost."  Over 
the  following  Sunday,  June  7th-8th,  a  similar  meeting  was  held 
at  J.  Shelly's,  also  in  Lancaster  County.  Many  ministers  were 
present,  including  Newcomer  and  Bishop  Boehm;  Jacob  Al- 

1  In  the  absence  of  an  express  statement  in  the  early  records  that  such 
an  assembly  was  held,  and  inasmuch  as  the  survivors  of  the  several 
Becker  families  uniformly  declared  that  such  an  assembly  was  held,  Rev. 
William  Hoffman,  whose  wife  was  a  granddaughter  of  George  Becker, 
many  years  ago  made  a  thorough  investigation.  Two  daughters  of  Becker 
were  then  living,  both  of  whom  remembered  the  assembly  at  their  father's 
house  very  well,  and  related  a  number  of  occurrences.  These  ladies  were 
Mrs.  Rev.  Kleinfelter,  Hofifman's  mother-in-law,  and  her  sister^  Mrs. 
Gockley.  The  former  was  grown  and  her  sister  was  eleven  years  of  age 
at  the  time.  They  did  not  confuse  this  meeting  with  the  first  conference 
held  the  year  following  at  Samuel  Becker's.  Moreover,  the  author,  many 
years  ago,  interviewed  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Stump,  daughter  of  Samuel  Becker, 
and  Mrs.  Esther  Shutt,  daughter  of  John  Becker,  and  both  assured  him 
that  such  a  meeting  was  held. 

2  See  Newcomer's  Journal,  p.  147;  "Albright  and  Miller,"  pp.  106,  107. 


8o 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


bright  also  was  present  and  participated.  Bishop  Newcomer, 
in  other  entries  in  his  journal,  notes  the  participation  of  "The 
Albright  Brethren"  in  his  big  meetings.  The  fact  of  the  Al- 
bright Brethren  cooperating  with  the  United  Brethren  in  that 
early  day,  without  ecclesiastical  union,  will  be  understood  when 
considered  in  relation  to  Albright  and  the  United  Brethren  as 
set  forth  in  another  connection  in  this  work. 

Miller's  Great  Success. — Immediately  after  the  union  meeting 
at  Hershey's,  Miller  started  for  his  new  field  of  labor,  the  New 
or  Northumberland  circuit.  On  Monday  evening,  June  2d,  he 
preached  with  great  power  at  Michael  Becker's,  in  Dauphin 
County,  from  the  words,  ''The  just  shall  live  by  faith"  (Rom. 
1:17).  The  sermon  was  blessed  in  the  conversion  of  souls. 
Soon  after  entering  upon  his  labors  on  this  vast  field,  w^hich 
extended  from  the  North  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna  on  the 
east  to  the  Potomac  River  in  the  southwest,  he  wisely  cut  off 
the  appointments  beyond  the  Alleghenies  in  Bedford  and  other 
counties,  and  concentrated  his  efforts  on  the  central  portion  of 
the  field.  This  enabled  him  to  preach  more  frequently  at  all  the 
places,  with  immediate  good  results.  Others  had  faithfully  sown 
the  good  seed  of  the  kingdom,  but  the  work  needed  the  steady 
and  tactful  hand  of  Miller  to  effect  organizations.  Tw^o  classes 
had  been  organized,  as  stated  in  a  previous  connection,  in  1803. 
These,  the  one  in  Pfoutz  Valley,  in  Juniata  County,  and  the 
Thomas  class  in  M/ifflin  County,  we  may  pass  by.  We  are  unable 
to  give  the  formation  of  the  many  classes  on  this  charge  this 
year,  in  the  order  of  their  organization,  except  in  the  case  of 
New  Berlin,  which  was  the  first. 

New  Berlin. — In  the  previous  chapter  we  gave  an  account  of 
the  way  in  which  the  Evangelical  work  was  introduced  into  this 
place,  and  also  the  marvellous  preaching  of  John  Walter,  and 
his  prophecy  regarding  the  future  of  the  church  here.  The  first 
step  in  the  fulfilment  of  his  words  was  the  organization  of  a  class 
in  less  than  a  year,  with  Michael  Maize^  as  class  leader.  As  al- 
ready stated,  the  first  church  of  the  Evangelical  Association  was 

3  Michael  Maize  was  born  near  Shafiferstown,  Lebanon  County,  in  1770, 
and  died  in  1842.  He  was  made  a  local  preacher  at  an  early  day.  His 
wife,  Barbara,  died  in  1848,  aged  72  years. 


GATHERING  THE  HARVEST. 


8l 


erected  here  in  1816,  and  in  this  church,  so  historic  and  memor- 
able, the  author  of  this  work  was  converted  in  his  youth,  and  in 
the  course  of  years  preached  his  first  sermon  from  the  pulpit 
where  the  worthy  fathers  stood  long  before  him.  Did  space 
permit,  we  would  be  glad  to  record  more  of  the  incidents  of  the 
early  days,  as  told  us  by  trembling  lips  long  stilled  in  death,  but 
we  must  pass  on. 

The  Eyer  Class. — We  have  already  noted  the  home  of  Abra- 
ham Eyer*  as  a  preaching  place  for  Newcomer  and  others,  as 
early  as  1800.  This  home  is  at  Winfield  on  the  Susquehanna 
River.  It  was  here  that  Henry  Niebel,  who  was  preparing  for 
the  ministry  of  the  Reformed  Church,  identified  himself  with 
the  Evangelical  work  and  began  his  long  ministerial  career  by 
assisting  Miller  in  1806.  In  the  barn  of  Father  Eyer  the  ninth 
annual  conference  was  held  in  1816,  at  which  time  the  first  mis- 
sionaries were  appointed  to  go  to  Ohio,  and  also  the  holding  of 
the  first  General  Conference  was  determined  on. 

The  Middle  Creek  Class  was  formed  in  the  vicinity  of  Middle- 
burg,  the  county  seat  of  Snyder  County,  about  ten  miles  south 
of  New  Berlin.  This  was  the  strongest  class  organized,  con- 
sisting of  over  thirty  members.  The  preaching  places  were  at 
the  homes  of  Abraham  Fry,  John  Walter,  John  Adam  Bower- 
sox,  Jacob  Bordner,  Daniel  Mowerer  and  George  Hartman. 
The  latter  two  were  married  to  sisters  of  Fry.  John  Walter, 
Jr.,  was  the  class  leader.  From  this  class  came  many  ministers, 
among  the  first  being  Jacob  Fry  (1807),  brother  of  Abraham; 

4  Abraham  Eyer  was  born  in  Lancaster  County  in  1748,  and  died  in 
1823.  His  wife,  Catharine,  nee  Graybill,  was  born  in  York  County  in 
1752,  and  died  in  1805.  They  were  married  in  1770  and  had  children  as 
follows:  Catharine,  married  Rev.  John  Dreisbach,  Albright's  co-laborer, 
in  181 1 ;  she  died  in  1815,  and  two  years  later  he  married  her  sister  Fanny; 
Barbara,  married  Rev.  David  Shellenberger ;  Mary,  married  Rev.  Henry 
Niebel;  Magdalena  (Molly),  married  Daniel  Hoy,  and  they  removed  to 
Ohio,  where  their  daughter,  Catharine,  became  the  wife  of  Bishop  Jos. 
lyong;  Elisabeth,  married  Philip  Hoy,  brother  to  Daniel,  and  they  also 
moved  to  Ohio;  Anna,  married  Martin  Dreisbach  (Ohio).  Besides  these 
Father  Eyer  had  three  sons,  of  whom  Isaac,  born  1793,  died  1879,  was  for 
many  years  a  pillar  in  the  Evangelical  Church.  The  author  is  greatly  in- 
debted to  him  for  many  facts  given  in  this  work. 


6 


82 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


John  Walter,  Jr.  (1813),  Michael  Walter  (1814),  and  John 
Stambaugh  (1813). 

Beaver  Dam. — This  is  now  Beaver  Springs,  Snyder  County. 
Miller  records  that  he  had  good  success  here,  and  inasmuch  as 
Albright,  Walter  and  others  had  preached  here  for  several  years, 
we  are  of  the  opinion  that  Miller  also  formed  a  class  here,  since 
we  certainly  know  that  there  was  one  a  year  or  so  later. 

Chapman  Township. — Miller  formed  a  class  in  Chapman 
Township,  Snyder  County,  near  the  present  town  of  Port  Trevor- 
ton,  of  which  the  families  Swartz,  Shelly,  Shetterly,  and  Thorn- 
ton were  the  chief  members. 

Derrstown. — A  class  was  formed  in  Lewisburg,  on  the  Sus- 
quehanna River,  in  Buffalo  Valley,  five  miles  north  of  Winfield. 
The  leader  of  this  class  was  Christian  Wolfe,^  whose  wife  was 
an  aunt  of  Rev.  John  Dreisbach.  Wolfe  was  early  licensed  as  a 
local  preacher.  Prior  to  1809  he  removed  to  Seneca  Falls,  New 
York,  and  through  him  the  Evangelical  work  was  established  in 
that  state  in  181 2. 

The  Dreisbach  Class. — This  society  was  formed  at  the  Dreis- 
bach church,  five  miles  west  of  Lewisburg.  Because  of  its  im- 
portance a  fuller  account  of  the  work  will  be  given  later. 

The  Motz  Settlements. — Miller  fails  to  say  whether  he  formed 
a  class  in  the  lower  end  of  Penns  Valley,  in  Centre  County.  In 
the  previous  chapter  we  noted  how  the  evangelists  gained  entrance 
here  with  Captain  Motz  and  his  son-in-law,  John  Wise,^  and 
others.  This  was  the  strongest  Evangelical  centre  in  Penns 
Valley  and  quite  separate  from  Millheim,  which  was  over  seven 
miles  west.  Miller  had  a  gracious  revival  in  the  Motz  settle- 
ment (Woodward),  in  1806,  at  which  time  two  notable  heads  of 
families,  namely  Jacob  Merk  and  John  Adam  Hennig,  were 

5  Rev.  Christian  Wolfe  was  one  of  the  first  local  preachers;  ordained 
a  deacon  in  1821 ;  served  in  1825  as  an  itinerant;  died  in  1833,  aged  54 
years.    His  wife,  Barbara,  nee  Dreisbach,  died  in  1838,  aged  59  years. 

6  John  Wise  died  in  1844,  aged  79  years ;  his  wife,  Eve,  nee  Metz,  died 
1855,  aged  83  years.  Jacob  Merk  died  1837,  aged  72  years.  John  Adam 
Hennig  was  born  in  Berks  County,  1757,  and  died  in  1839,  aged  82  years. 
He  was  the  son  of  John  Jacob  Hennig  and  wife,  Anna.  They  were  pio- 
neers in  the  West  Branch  Valley,  and  prominent  in  the  Revolution.  Adam 
Hennig,  the  missionary,  was  born  in  1794,  and  died  in  Ohio  in  i860. 


GATHERING  THE  HARVEST. 


83 


brought  into  the  Evangelical  fold.  These  meetings  were  held  at 
the  house  of  John  Wise,  the  first  class-leader.  It  is  clear  that 
the  class  was  organized  either  by  Miller,  or  in  the  year  previous 

(1805)  ,  by  Walter,  or  Albright  himself. 

Among  the  many  prominent  members  here,  John  Adam  Hen- 
nig  calls  for  special  mention.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, as  were  also  his  father  and  his  brothers.  His  son  Adam 
entered  the  Evangelical  ministry  in  1813,  and  in  1816  he  and 
Rev.  Fred  Shower  were  the  first  Evangelical  missionaries  sent 
to  Ohio.  In  1830  the  fourth  General  Conference  was  held  at  the 
house  of  John  Adam.  Hennig.  This  building  is  still  standing 
(1916). 

Milheim. — Over  seven  miles  west  of  Woodward  is  Milheim,  a 
notable  place  in  the  early  history  of  the  Evangelical  Church.  The 
preaching  places  were  in  the  homes  of  George  Swartz  (1803)  ; 
Abraham  Ream,  at  Greengrove  (1802)  ;  Paul  Bachman  in  Mil- 
heim. In  1806  Miller  had  a  considerable  ingathering  in  this 
locality.  Among  the  families  who  at  this  time  identified  them- 
selves w^ith  the  Evangelical  work  were  Henry  Smith  and  his 
brother  Peter.  At  the  home  of  the  former  the  evangelists 
preached  as  early  as  1804,  also'  in  that  of  David  Merk,  at  Green- 
grove,  which  was  for  many  years  an  Evangelical  place  of  wor- 
ship.   The  most  notable  trophies  of  the  revival  at  Milheim 

(1806)  ,  were  the  brothers  John  and  Mathias  Betz."^  The  former 
was  made  a  local  preacher  at  an  early  day,  and  prior  to  181 6  re- 
moved tO'  Ohio,  where  he  was  a  pioneer  and  pillar  in  the  Evan- 
gelical work.  The  latter  began  to  exercise  in  the  ministry  soon 
after  his  conversion,  and  in  1809  entered  the  active  ministry.  He 
was  a  young  man  of  great  promise.  When  preaching  his  vale- 
dictory as  pastor  on  Lancaster  Circuit,  April  15,  1810,  a  young 
man  was  converted  who,  next  to  Albright,  is  the  most  notable 
personage  in  the  history  of  the  Evangelical  Church,  namely 
Bishop  John  Seybert. 

7  Rev.  Mathias  Betz  was  bom  in  1782,  and  died  of  pneumonia  at  the 
home  of  J.  Steffy,  about  twelve  miles  west  of  Milheim,  in  1813.  He  was 
preacher-in-charge  of  Northumberland  Circuit  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
Rev  John  Betz  was  born  in  1780.  and  died  at  Betzville,  Ohio,  in  1848.  He 
was  the  founder  of  this  town. 


84 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


In  1839  the  General  Conference  of  the  Church  was  held  in  the 
Musser  church,  four  miles  west  of  Millheim.  At  this  conference 
Seybert  was  elected  as  the  first  regular  bishop  of  the  Evangelical 
Association.  It  is  worthy  of  note,  as  showing  the  importance  of 
the  Evangelical  work  in  this  beautiful  Penns  Valley,  that  two 
General  Conferences  were  held  in  it  within  a  decade. 

Brush  Valley. — In  the  former  chapter  we  noted  the  reception 
of  Albright,  in  1805,  by  Christopher  Spangler,  of  Brush  Valley. 
Here  Miller  also  organized  a  class  in  1806.  In  another  con- 
nection the  reader  will  find  a  further  notice  of  Spangler  as  a  co- 
laborer  with  Albright. 

The  North  Branch  Valley. — The  foundations  of  the  Evan- 
gelical work  in  the  valley  of  the  North  Branch  of  the  Susque- 
hanna River  were  undoubtedly  laid  by  Albright  himself.  No 
date  of  beginning  can  be  given,  except  that  visitations  were  made 
in  1806,  and  in  1807  the  region  was  embraced  in  the  Northumber- 
land Circuit.  Both  the  beginning  and  development  of  the  work, 
which  now  embraces  nearly  a  score  of  separate  charges,  well 
illustrates  the  far-reaching  influence  for  good  of  a  godly  father 
whose  house  is  a  sanctuary,  and  whose  children  are  saved  for 
God  and  nurtured  at  the  family  shrine.  The  facts  we  herewith 
give  stand  as  a  testimony  of  God's  faithfulness  and  the  manner 
in  which  He  honors  parental  influence  through  many  generations. 
In  a  previous  connection,  when  noting  how'  that  good  man, 
Leonard  Zimmerman,^  of  vSchuylkill  County,  opened  his  house 
as  a  preaching  place  for  Albright,  amid  much  opposition  and 
persecution,  he  gave  promise  of  a  further  notice  of  his  family. 
We  have  now  reached  that  point. 

The  Zimmerman  family  consisted  of  himself  and  wife, 
Sophia,  two  sons,  John  and  Leonard,  Jr.,  and  seven  daughters. 
Nearly  all  of  these  children  were  married  and  heads  of  families 
in  Albright's  time.  John  Zimmerman  was  a  justice  of  the  peace 
in  Schuylkill  County,  and  his  house  was  one  of  the  first  preach- 

8  Rev.  Leonard  Zimmerman  was  born  in  1783,  and  died  at  Manheim, 
Pa.,  in  1840.  He  spent  ten  years  in  the  active  ministry  and  was  a  preacher 
of  more  than  ordinary  ability.  John  George  Zehner  and  his  wife  both 
died  in  1848,  aged  83  and  80  years,  respectively.  Michael  Seybert  died 
1852,  aged  85  years,  and  his  wife  died  1854,  aged  84  years. 


GATHERING  THE  HARVEST. 


85 


ing  places.  Leonard  was  converted  in  his  father's  house  in  1802, 
under  the  preaching  of  Albright  from  the  text,  "But  who  may 
abide  the  day  of  His  coming?"  (Mai.  3:2).  He  entered  the 
active  ministry  of  the  Church  in  181 1.  The  daughters  of  Father 
Zimmerman  married  as  follows:  Maria  and  Eve  married  the 
brothers  John  and  Michael  Seybert,  respectively,  and  Catha- 
rine married  John  George  Zehner.  These  three  families,  soon 
after  1800,  removed  to  Summer  Hill,  near  Berwick,  on  the  line 
of  Columbia  and  Luzerne  Counties.  About  1806  they  were  fol- 
lowed to  the  valley  by  three  more  sons-in-law  of  Zimmerman, 
namely  Conrad  Biebelheimer,  who  had  married  Susan;  Jacob 
Bachart,  married  to  Albertena,  and  H.  Balliet,  married  to  Bar- 
bara. Bachart  located  near  Danville,  Montour  County.  The 
homes  of  all  the  foregoing  were  preaching  places.  Balliet  and 
Biebelheimer  later  removed  to  the  West,  where  their  homes  be- 
came new  centres  of  Evangelical  influence. 

The  first  general  revival  in  this  region  took  place  in  181 1,  un- 
der the  labors  of  Rev.  Leonard  Zimmerman,  when  two  classes 
were  formed,  one  at  Bachart's,  near  Danville,  and  the  other  at 
Summer  Hill.  Among  the  direct  results  of  the  work  at  Summer 
Hill  are  the  three  flourishing  congregations  in  Berwick,  besides 
many  more  in  the  vicinity.  Miany  able  ministers,  descendants  of 
Father  Zimmerman,  have  gone  forth  with  the  gospel  message 
from  Summer  Hill.  Among  the  descendants  who  have  been  an 
honor  to  the  Church  was  the  late  Rev.  Isaiah  Bower,  of  Ber- 
wick, through  whom  the  first  Evangelical  church  was  built  in 
that  place  and  through  whose  munificence  also  was  built  the  mag- 
nificent "Bower  Memorial  Church"  as  a  lasting  tribute  to  his 
sterling  worth  as  a  Christian  citizen.  It  remains  for  us  to  add 
that  Margaret,  the  youngest  child  of  Father  Zimmerman,  was 
married  in  181 8  to  George  Miller,^  the  first  printer  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Association. 

9  George  Miller  in  1815  was  providentially  led  to  take  charge  of  the 
newly  established  printery  of  the  Evangelical  Association.  He  printed 
all  the  early  publications  of  the  Church — Discipline,  hymn  book,  catechism, 
New  Testament,  etc.  He  was  a  tower  of  strength  to  the  infant  Church. 
He  was  no  relative  of  the  ministers  of  his  name.  He  died  at  New  Berlin, 
Pa.,  1859,  aged  64  years.   His  wife,  Margaret,  died  1845,  aged  55  years. 


86 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


The  Evangelical  Work  at  Dreisbach's. — We  now  recur  to  the 
Dreisbach  church,  where,  in  1805,  Miller  organized  the  most  in- 
fluential class  of  the  connection  in  Albright's  time.  We  give  a 
somewhat  extended  account  of  this  place,  for  the  reason  that  it 
was  the  centre  of  an  evangelistic  movement  (chiefly  among  the 
Reformed  people),  in  the  West  Branch  Valley,  and  the  further 
fact  that  Albright  and  his  colleagues  seem  to  have  entered  into 
the  spirit  of  the  movement  more  fully  than  any  others,  and  were 
providentially  permitted  to  gather  a  rich  fruitage,  not  only  of 
their  own  sowing,  but  that  of  others  as  well. 

When  we  say  that  nearly  all  the  men  of  influence  who  opened 
their  homes  as  preaching  places  for  the  early  evangelists  in  this 
region,  afterwards  fell  in  with  the  work  of  Albright  and  became 
the  pillars  of  the  new  circuit,  the  reader  will  see  the  reason  for 
the  details  herewith  given. 

The  Dreisbach  church  was  the  first  German  church  in  Penn- 
sylvania, north  of  Sunbury.  It  was  founded  in  1787,  by  the 
grant  of  seven  acres  of  land  for  that  purpose  by  Martin  Dreis- 
bach, Sr.  The  first  edifice  was  of  logs  and  was  occupied  by  the 
Lutherans  and  the  Reformed  jointly,  the  latter  predominating. 
Among  the  first  settlers  of  this  (Buffalo)  valley,  in  1773,  were 
Martin  Dreisbach,  Sr.,  John  Aurand,  Sr.,  Philip  Hoy,  Sr.,  all 
of  them  members  of  the  Reformed  Church.  After  the  Revolu- 
tion many  more  Reformed  people  from  the  lower  counties  located 
here,  among  them  being  the  Niebel,  Betz,  Frederick,  Barnhart 
and  Youngman  families,  also  George  Wendel  Wolfe,  a  Lu- 
theran. 

Prior  to  1800  Elias  Youngman  laid  out  a  town  called 
"Youngmanstown"  (now  Mifilinburg),  where  through  him  was 
built  and  named  in  his  honor  the  noted  St.  Elias  church,  where 
the  evangelists  Newcomer,  Albright,  Walter  and  Miller  sowed 
the  seed  of  the  kingdom  with  many  tears.  It  should  be  borne  in 
mind  that  these  families  named  were  of  the  Pietistic  type  and 
favorable  to  evangelistic  measures.  The  Lutheran  element  was 
of  an  opposite  type,  and  hence  the  Evangelical  cause  gained  very 
little  from  that  denomination. 

The  first  Reformed  minister  was  Rev.  Jonathan  Rawhouser, 
who  remained  until  1792,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  G. 


GATHERING  THE  HARVEST. 


87 


Pfrimmer,  who  arrived  from  Europe  in  1788.  He  was  of  the 
Pietistic  and  evangelistic  type,  and  for  this  reason  was  termed 
an  ^'irregular,"  and  was  not  connected  with  the  Reformed  Synod. 
Pfrimmer  preached  in  an  evangelistic  manner  in  many  places. 
He  stood  in  intimate  relationship  with  Rev.  William  Otterbein, 
of  the  same  Church,  and  with  him  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church.  Like  Otterbein,  his  connection 
with  the  Reformed  Church  was  only  official,  as  after  1791  till  his 
death  he  was  a  strong  factor  in  the  United  Brethren  movement. 

Through  Pfrimmer  the  Reformed  element  of  the  Dreisbach 
church  came  in  touch  with  the  leading  spirits  of  the  United 
Brethren  movement.  In  1795  we  find  Christian  Newcomer  and 
George  Adam  Gueting,  both  quite  prominent  in  that  movement, 
making  a  tour  of  this  region  and  finding  entrance  at  all  the  points 
of  Pfrimmer's  labors.  The  latter  had  left  the  field  and  labored 
elsewhere.  The  Reformed  people  of  this  region  were  now  with- 
out a  pastor,  except  as  they  were  served  by  the  United  Brethren 
evangelists  who  came  at  irregular  intervals. 

In  October,  1800,  the  United  Brethren  had  their  first  "big"  or 
''Pentecostal"  meeting  at  Dreisbach's.  The  ministers  present 
were  Newcomer,  Pfrimmer,  Gueting  and  Snyder.  Multitudes 
of  people  (Reformed  Pietists)  participated.  A  new  element  now 
appears.  One  of  the  members  of  the  Dreisbach  congregation  was 
Dietrich  Aurand,  son  of  John  Aurand.  He  had  accompanied 
the  evangelists  on  their  tours  and  had  exercised  the  gift  of 
preaching.  In  1801,  the  people  being  without  a  pastor  and  de- 
sirous of  remaining  loyal  to  the  Reformed  Church,  recommended 
Aurand  for  license  to  preach.  This  the  synod  refused  to  grant. 
Men  of  his  type  were  not  then  in  favor  with  that  body.  He  was 
nevertheless  elected  as  pastor  and  served  them  as  such  several 
years.  Aurand's  name  now,  for  several  sessions  of  the  United 
Brethren  conference,  appears  on  the  roll  of  that  body.  For  some 
years  the  leaders  of  the  United  Brethren  Church  continued  to 
visit  this  region  and  hold  big  meetings.  The  people  however 
remained  in  the  Reformed  communion,  evidently  not  favoring 
the  form  of  Church  life  represented  by  the  United  Brethren. 

During  this  period  of  evident  hesitancy  and  waiting  (1802-4), 
the  Rev.  Jacob  Albright  appeared  on  the  ground.    We  know 


88 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


nothing  of  how  he  gained  this  open  door  oi  opportunity,  never- 
theless it  is  a  fact  that  Pastor  Aurand  himself  was  an  instru- 
ment in  leading  the  people  to  the  belief  that  Albright  repre- 
sented that  form  of  religious  life  most  congenial  to  them.  We 
are  led  to  this  conclusion  from  the  fact  that  Aurand  opened  his 
own  home  as  a  preaching  place,  not  only  for  Albright,  but  also 
for   his   co-laborers,  Walter  and  Leeser.^^^    About  this  time 
Aurand  ceased  to  cooperate  with  the  United  Brethren  and  in 
1804  accepted  a  call  to  a  Reformed  congregation  at  Water  Street, 
on  the  Juniata  River.  A  vast  evangelistic  field  was  now  evidently 
opened,  and  Albright  and  colleagues  found  entrance  in  many 
homes.   The  preaching  places  in  this  vicinity  were  the  Dreisbach 
church ;  the  house  of  Martin  Dreisbach,  the  elder  of  the  church ; 
the  house  of  Rev.  Deatrick  Aurand,  and  also  that  of  his  brother 
John;   the  house  of  Philip  Hoy,  Sr.;   the  house  of  George 
Wendle  Wolfe,  and  also  the  St.  Elias  church,  four  miles  distant. 
Evidently  the  circumstances  we  have  narrated  had  something  to 
do  with  the  formation  of  the  new  circuit,  in  1804,  as  from  that 
year  onward  "The  Albright  Brethren,"  as  they  were  called, 
seemed  to  be  in  the  lead. 

Although  the  Dreisbach  church  was  the  centre  of  evangelistic 
work  for  many  years,  the  people  remained  loyal  to  their  Church, 
nor  did  they  find  anything  in  the  preaching  of  Albright  and  co- 
\\^orkers  inconsistent  with  their  religious  belief.  Thus  for  years 
did  these  pious  people  receive  the  ministration  of  men  not  of 
their  own  Church.  Such  a  condition  could  not  long  continue. 
The  situation  needed  the  skilful  hand  of  a  Miller  to  bring  it  to  a 
happy  outcome.  Miller  had  already  organized  a  number  of 
classes  of  just  such  people  as  were  at  the  Dreisbach  church.  Over 
on  the  Middlecreek,  twelve  miles  distant,  similar  conditions  had 
prevailed,  nevertheless  the  people  had  become  Evangelicals. 

Miller  appointed  a  big  meeting  to  be  held  at  Dreisbach's  over 
October  26-27  (1806),  at  which  Albright  and  his  eloquent  col- 
league, Walter,  were  to  be  present.  He  also  made  efforts  to 
secure  the  attendance  of  such  as  had  lately  united  with  the 
Evangelical  cause.    Almost  the  entire  class  from  Middlecreek 

10  See  "Fathers  of  the  Reformed  Church,"  Vol.  Ill,  p.  185. 

11  See  "Albright  and  Miller,"  p.  114. 


GATHERING  THE  HARVEST.  89 

was  present.  The  meeting  was  most  successful  and  victorious. 
Albright  and  Walter  preached  with  unusual  freedom  and  power 
and  the  revival  fires  kindled  were  scattered  all  over  the  new  cir- 
cuit. The  Dreisbach  people  were  now  led  to  see  that  their  spir- 
itual welfare  lay  in  an  Evangelical  organization.  A  class  was 
accordingly  formed,  of  which  the  former  elder  of  the  congrega- 
tion, Martin  Dreisbach,  Jr.,  was  made  the  leader.  This  was  a 
triumphant  climax  to  Miller's  work  on  this  circuit. 

That  the  reader  may  see  the  far-reaching  effects  of  the  win- 
ning of  this  people  for  the  Evangelical  cause,  we  note  the  fol- 
lowing: The  annual  conference  was  held  three  years  in  succes- 
sion (1812-1813-1814)  in  the  house  of  Martin  Dreisbach,  Jr. 
At  the  first  two  conferences  his  son,  Rev.  John  Dreisbach,  served 
as  secretary,  and  of  the  third  he  was  the  president.  In  1816  the 
first  General  Conference  was  held  in  the  same  house,  and  this 
same  son,  now  the  leader  of  the  Evangelical  Church,  served  as 
presiding  elder  in  the  house  in  which  he  was  born.  Remarkable 
circumstance!  At  this  latter  conference  the  infant  denomination 
was  given  the  name  of  "The  Evangelical  Association  of  North 
America."  Moreover,  as  a  pathetic  sequel  to  his  arduous  labors 
in  this  community,  the  venerable  hero  of  the  cross,  Bishop 
Christian  Newcomer,  made  a  last  tour  of  this  region  and  ap- 
peared before  the  conference  (Oct.  13-14,  1816),  in  a  final  effort 
to  unite  the  Evangelical  and  United  Brethren  denominations.^^ 
At  the  house  of  J.  S.  Dunkle,  son-in-law  of  Dreisbach,  a  mem- 
ber of  this  class,  the  organization  of  the  Missionary  Society  of 
the  Evangelical  Church  was  perfected  in  1839. 

Moreover,  in  the  person  of  the  youthful  John  Dreisbach,  Al- 
bright found  a  most  gifted  and  devoted  co-laborer,  providentially 
soon  to  take  his  place,  and  in  him  the  Evangelical  Church  found 
a  poet,  author,  founder  of  her  printing  house,  editor,  first  pre- 
siding elder,  and  first  advocate  of  a  learned  ministry  and  higher 
institution  of  learning. 

Besides  the  Dreisbach  family,  the  Wolfe,  Aurand,  Hoy,  and 
other  families  bore  a  prominent  part  in  the  formative  period  of 
the  Evangelical  Church.  Many  of  the  original  members  at  an 
early  day  removed  to  Ohio,  and  were  instrumental  in  founding 

12  See  "Evangelical  Annals,"  p.  172. 


90 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


the  Evangelical  work  in  that  state.  Among  the  number  were 
Daniel  and  Philip  Hoy,  sons  of  Philip  Hoy,  Sr.,  and  Martin 
Dreisbach  (cousin  of  the  minister).  These  three  men  were  sons- 
in-law  of  Father  Eyer,  of  Winfield.  They  removed  to  the  West, 
prior  to  1810.  A  little  later  they  were  followed  by  John  Buchtel 
(father  of  the  founder  of  Buchtel  College),  and  some  of  the 
Wolfe,  Aurand,  Wormley  and  other  families.  Still  later  the 
two  most  prominent  ministers  of  the  Church  also  moved  to  Ohio, 
John  Dreisbach  in  1831,  and  Henry  Niebel  in  1833. 

BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES. 

DREISBACH.— Martin  Dreisbach,  Sr.,  was  born  in  the 
Duchy  of  Witgenstein,  Germany,  in  17 17;  emigrated  to  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1 75 1,  locating  in  Berks  County;  in  1773  removed  to 
farm  in  Buffalo  Valley,  in  (now)  Union  County,  where  he  died 
in  1799.  He  had  four  sons — Henry,  who  in  1804  removed  to 
Ohio  and  laid  out  Circleville;  Jacob,  John,  and  Martin,  Jr., 
the  latter  succeeding  him  on  the  farm.  He  also  had  a  number  of 
daughters.  He  gave  the  land  for  the  church  which  bears  his 
name.  He  was  its  first  elder  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son, 
Martin,  Jr.,  who  was  born  in  1764,  and  died  in  1831,  who  also  had 
a  large  and  influential  family.  His  oldest  son,  Rev.  John  Dreis- 
bach, was  born  in  1789  and  died  in  1871.  The  youngest  of  the 
family  was  Hon.  Martin  Dreisbach,  born  in  1800,  died  at  Lewis- 
burg,  Pa.,  1870. 

AURAND. — John  Aurand,  Sr.,  was  born  near  Heidelberg, 
Germany,  in  1725.  His  forefathers  were  French  Huguenots, 
who  fled  from  France  to  Germany  because  of  the  Revocation  of 
the  Edict  of  Nantes,  in  1685,  and  the  persecutions  that  followed 
the  Protestants  in  consequence.  He  came  to  Pennsylvania  in 
1753  and  located  in  Berks  County.  In  1772  he  bought  a  property 
at  the  mouth  of  Turtle  Creek  in  (now)  Union  County  about 
seven  miles  east  of  Dreisbach's.  He  was  a  very  pious  man  and 
his  place  a  home  and  preaching  place  for  all  the  early  evangelists. 
He  died  in  1807,  aged  82  years.  He  had  a  large  family  of  sons 
and  daughters.  His  sons  Henry,  Jacob,  and  Dietrich,  were 
soldiers  of  the  Revolution.  His  son,  John,  Jr.,  was  one  of  the 
first  and  strong  supports  of  Albright.    He  died  in  1809.  Rev. 


GATHERING  THE  HARVEST. 


91 


Dietrich  Aurand  was  born  in  1760,  and  died  in  1831,  buried  at 
Water  Street,  Pa. 

WOLFE. — George  Wendel  Wolfe  was  the  son  of  John 
George  Wolfe,  of  Tulpehocken,  Berks  County.  His  grandfather, 
John  Barnard  Wolfe,  an  emigrant  from  Germany  in  1727,  lo- 
cated there.  George  Wendel  Wolfe  was  born  in  1740  and  served 
as  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution.  Prior  to  1800  he  purchased  a 
large  tract  of  land  in  (now)  Union  County  and  took  up  his 
residence  on  it.  He  died  in  1823,  aged  83  years.  He  had  a  large 
family  of  sons  and  daughters,  most  of  whom  were  early  Evan- 
gelicals. His  sons,  Leonard  and  John  (the  latter  married  to  a 
daughter  of  Father  Aurand),  moved  to  Ohio  at  an  early  day. 
Rev.  Christian  Wolfe  was  the  first  class  leader  at  Lewisburg 
(1806),  and  founder  of  the  Evangelical  work  in  the  state  of  New 
York.  Andrew  Wolfe,  the  youngest,  was  born  in  1784,  and 
died  near  Lewisburg,  Pa.,  in  1871.  His  wife,  Anna,  was  a  sister 
of  Rev.  John  Dreisbach.  Andrew  Wolfe  was  licensed  to  preach 
in  1816.  His  sons,  Aaron  and  Simon,  were  Evangelical  preach- 
ers and  three  of  his  daughters  were  preachers'  wives. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


Ecclesiastical  Organization. 

Pentecostal  meeting  at  Dreishach's — A  great  ingathering  follows — First 
Annual  Conference  —  Its  transactions  —  Success  at  Linglestown — A 
memorable  Easier — Albright's  failing  health — A  new  leader — Subse- 
quent Annual  Conferences — First  General  Conference — Organization 
of  the  Bvangelical  Association. 

THE  year  1807  marks  the  culmination  of  the  work  of  Albright 
in  the  organization  of  an  ecclesiastical  body,  as  we  shall 
presently  show.  However,  before  noting  this  event  we  must  take 
a  survey  of  the  work  in  the  several  months  preceding. 

In  the  month  of  January,  1807,  Albright  changed  the  preach- 
ers by  placing  Miller  on  the  old  and  Walter  on  the  new  circuit.^ 
Miller  had  spent  only  eight  months  on  the  new  circuit  the  previ- 
ous year,  yet  in  that  brief  time  he  had  organized  over  one  hun- 
dred persons  into  classes,  besides  having  in  prospect  the  winning 
of  three  gifted  young  men  for  the  ministry.  These  men  were 
John  Dreisbach,  Jacob  Fry,  and  Henry  Niebel,  all  of  whom 
had  rendered  him  great  assistance.  The  revival  fires  kindled  by 
Miller  on  the  new  circuit  did  not  die  out  with  his  removal,  but 
continued  to  burn  under  the  zealous  labors  of  his  successor. 

In  the  month  of  April,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  there  was  held 
a  general  meeting  in  Penns  Valley,  Centre  County,  attended  by 
all  the  preachers.  At  this  meeting  the  youthful  Dreisbach  was 
given  license  as  a  local  preacher  by  Albright,^  after  which  he 
spent  much  of  his  time  assisting  the  ministers  until  he  entered 
the  active  ranks. 

From  what  we  can  gather  it  is  evident  that  the  work  across  the 
mountains  in  Bedford,  Somerset,  and  Cambria  Counties,  was 
now  served  in  connection  with  the  new  circuit,  as  we  know  that 

1  "Albright  and  Miller,"  p.  126. 

2  "The  Past,  Present,  and  Future,"  by  Dreisbach,  in  "Evangelical  Mes- 
senger," Vol.  VIII,  p.  20. 


92 


ECCLESIASTICAL  ORGANIZATION. 


93 


both  Albright  and  Walter  visited  these  localities  repeatedly  this 
year.  The  transfer  of  Miller  to  the  old  circuit  was  attended  by 
a  general  quickening,  and  revivals  occurred  in  several  places. 
Near  the  present  town  of  Miillersville,  in  Lancaster  County,  a 
very  considerable  ingathering  took  place.  Among  the  trophies 
was  a  gifted  young  man,  John  Erb,  who  within  the  year  began 
to  exercise  the  gifts  of  the  ministry  and  entered  the  active  work 
at  the  second  conference  in  1809. 

The  revival  begun  on  the  Muehlbach  continued  with  the  result 
that  many  influential  families,  who  had  hitherto  hesitated  to  leave 
their  old  church  connections,  now  broke  away  amid  much  perse- 
cution and  united  with  the  Evangelical  class. 

It  will  be  apparent  to  the  most  casual  reader  of  the  accounts 
of  the  success  of  Albright  and  his  co-laborers  that  there  was  a 
steady  tendency  toward  the  formation  of  an  ecclesiastical  organi- 
zation, although  this  was  not  the  design  of  the  evangelists.  The 
same  results  attended  the  labors  of  Rev.  John  Wesley,  although 
he  opposed  it,  and  died  in  full  connection  with  the  Church  of 
England.  Leaders  like  Wesley,  Otterbein,  Newcomer,  and  Al- 
bright were  chosen  instruments  in  the  hands  of  God  to  bring 
about  certain  reforms  in  the  Christian  Church,  and  the  gathering 
together  of  the  results  of  their  labors  into  separate  bodies  seems 
to  have  been  a  wise  provision  of  Providence  for  the  better  con- 
tinuation of  their  distinctive  work,  in  order  that  vital  godliness, 
,  which  had  so  sadly  declined,  might  again  through  them  be  awak- 
ened in  the  parent  bodies. 

We  have  already  noted  that  concerted  action  had  been  taken, 
presumably  at  the  General  Assembly  of  1806,  that  an  annual  con- 
ference should  thereafter  be  held.  We  knew  nothing  of  how  the 
call  was  made  or  the  time  and  place  appointed.  We  only  know 
that  the  first  conference  was  held  on  November  13-15,  1807, 
the  house  of  Samuel  Becker,  on  the  Muehlbach,  near  Shaffers- 
town,  in  Lebanon  County. 

First  Annual  Conference. — According  to  previous  arrange- 
ment, the  first  regular  conference  of  "The  Albright  Brethren,"  as 
they  were  then  called,  was  held  at  the  house  of  Samuel  Becker, 
on  the  Muehlbach,  Lebanon  County,  November  13-15,  1807.  The 


94 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


body  was  composed  of  ministers  in  full  connection,  Jacob  Al- 
bright, John  Walter,  and  George  Miller;  ministers  on  trial, 
John  Dreisbach  and  Jacob  Fry ;  local  preachers,  Charles  Bisse, 
Solomon  Miller,  and  Jacob  Phillips ;  also  twenty  class  officials : 
in  all  twenty-eight  persons.  Of  the  latter  class  Christopher 
Spangler,  of  Centre  County,  and  John  Thomas,  of  Mifflin 
County,  were  made  local  preachers.  There  was  one  ministerial 
absentee,  Alexander  Jamison,  who  was  no  longer  in  the  active 
work.  The  records  of  the  conference  are  very  meager,  of  which 
the  following  is  the  substance: 

Rev.  Jacob  Albright  was  elected  to  the  office  of  bishop  and 
G.  Miller  to  the  order  of  elder,  by  a  majority  of  votes.  The 
latter,  however,  was  not  ordained  at  this  time. 

Evidently  the  ecclesiastical  status  of  the  conference  was  a  sub- 
ject of  deliberation,  and  inasmuch  as  there  may  have  been  then 
a  prospect  of  a  continuance  of  their  work  as  an  adjunct  of  the 
Methodists,  they  took  as  their  official  title,  *'The  Newly  Formed 
Methodist  Conference."  However,  as  the  term  "Methodist" 
was  generally  applied  to  all  the  newly-formed  evangelistic  sects, 
the  term  may  have  been  used  in  that  sense. 

The  subject  of  a  creed  and  rules  of  government  was  also  con- 
sidered, and  upon  the  advice  of  Albright  the  Episcopal  (not 
Methodist  Episcopal,  as  some  held),  was  adopted,^  and  he  was 
directed  by  conference  to  formulate  such  a  work  and  have  it 
printed.   This  however,  he  did  not  live  to  accomplish. 

No  changes  were  made  in  the  appointments  of  the  preachers. 
Two  young  men  entered  the  active  work.  John  Dreisbach,  who 
was  assigned  to  assist  Walter  on  the  old  circuit,  and  Jacob  Fry, 
who  was  placed  as  assistant  to  Miller  on  the  new  circuit. 

The  organization  of  the  conference  had  the  immediate  effect  to 
solidify  the  Evangelical  work.  It  is  evident  that  all  concerned 
looked  forward  to  the  movement  as  of  a  permanent  character, 
but  whether  as  an  independent  body  or  in  an  associated  form, 
none  could  tell.  That  the  founder  looked  upon  the  movement  as 
a  Divine  agency  destined  to  go  on,  is  shown  in  his  declaration  to 
John  Dreisbach,  but  a  short  time  before  his  death.    In  refer- 

3  Auf  Briider  Albrecht's  anrathen  wurde  die  BischoHiche  Regierungs 
form  angenommen."    "Albright  and  Miller,"  p.  129. 


g»8g  mit  (3m  um  mm  tlnmUt 


:!  «    a    t    i    ii  ; 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  RE:pRODUCTION  OF  TITLK 
PAGE  OF  THi:  FIRST  EVANGE:IvICAIv  DIS- 

ciPiviNK,  prfpare:d  by  RKV.  gforge  MIL- 

LFR,  AND  PRINTED  BY  JOHN  RITTER  IN 
READING,  PENNA.,  IN  1809. 


ECCLESIASTICAL  ORGANIZATION. 


95 


ence  to  the  work  he  said :  "If  it  is  Cod^s  zvill  that  you  shall  be  a 
permanent  association,  He  tmll  also  provide  the  elements  neces- 
sary to  success.  He  mill  raise  up  men  from  among  you  zvho  zvill 
take  up  the  burden  I  no  longer  can  bear,  and  consummate  the 
work.   It  is  of  God  and  in  His  hands,  and  He  will  provide." 

These  words,  uttered  at  the  sunset  of  his  consecrated  life,  have 
a  deep  meaning  for  all  Christian  ministers  to-day.  They  indicate 
the  true  spirit  of  service.  The  true,  earnest  Christian  worker 
never  lives  to  see  the  consummation  of  all  his  hopes  and  plans ; 
he  is  only  a  factor,  doing  part  of  a  work  that  grows  greater, 
grander,  and  more  perfect  with  the  coming  years.  Let  all  Chris- 
tian ministers  possess  the  calm  faith  and  spirit  of  humble  trust  in 
God  that  animated  the  sainted  Albright.  Our  work,  like  his 
work,  is  of  God  and  He  will  provide  all  things  necessary  to 
success. 

The  Doctrinal  Basis  of  the  Evangelical  Church. — ^At  the 

First  Annual  Conference  (1807),  upon  the  advice  of  Jacob  Al- 
bright,* the  Episcopal  form  of  Church  Polity  was  adopted,  and 
the  conference  directed  him  to  prepare  a  book  of  Discipline  con- 
taining articles  of  faith  and  ecclesiastical  regulations.  Failing 
health  and  early  death  prevented  the  accomplishment  of  this 
work. 

About  this  time  Bishop  Asbury,  the  head  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  directed  Rev.  Henry  Boehm,  of  his  Con- 
nection, to  prepare  a  German  edition  of  the  Methodist  book  of 
Discipline  for  the  use  of  that  Church.  This  work  made  its  ap- 
pearance in  1808,  under  the  supervision  of  Boehm,  but  the  trans- 
lations were  made  by  Dr.  Ignatz  Roemer,  a  very  learned  man, 
who  had  prepared  for  the  priesthood  in  a  European  university, 
but,  getting  disgusted  with  the  corruption  of  the  Romish  Church, 
had  come  to  America. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  Albright,  his  successor,  George  Miller, 
was  entrusted  with  the  preparation  of  the  book  of  Discipline.  He 
set  to  performing  his  task  at  once  and  was  able  to  lay  the  work 
before  the  conference  at  its  second  session,  which  was  held  at  his 
own  house  in  April,  1809.    The  conference  approved  the  work 


4  "Albrecht  und  Miller,"  p.  129. 


96 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


and  directed  him  to  publish  it,  which  he  did  at  once.  The  book 
was  printed  by  John  Ritter,  of  Reading,  in  1809,  contains 
75  pages.  The  contents  of  the  book  are  an  introductory^  preface, 
followed  by  a  creed  or  "Confession  of  Faith,"  as  it  is  called.  The 
rest  of  the  book  consists  of  "Directions"  for  personal  Christian 
conduct,  Church  officials,  and  organizations.  It  contained  no 
rituals  whatever,  and  the  preachers  evidently  made  use  of  the 
rituals  of  the  established  churches. 

An  examination  and  comparison  of  the  Methodist  and  the 
Evangelical  books  of  Discipline  shows  that  the  former  contains 
twenty-five  and  the  latter  twenty-six  articles  of  faith.  A  com- 
parison of  the  two  Creeds  shows  that  all  of  the  twenty-five 
articles  of  the  Methodist  Creed  were  taken  by  the  Evangelicals, 
unaltered,  and  one  was  added  by  them.  This  fact  gave  rise  to  the 
general  impression  that  the  Albrights  in  1809,  were  essentially 
"IMethodist,"  from  the  fact  that  they  adopted  entire  the  Creed 
of  that  Church.^  This,  however,  is  erroneous,  as  we  will  now 
show. 

An  examination  of  the  ^I!ethodist  Creed,  so  called  shows  that 
it,  too,  was  borrowed  f  thus  showing  that  the  Methodist  and  the 
Evangelical  Churches  have  a  common  creedal  history.  The  origi- 
nal or  fundamental  Creed  from  which  the  twenty-five  Articles  of 
Faith  aforenamed  were  taken,  are  the  "Thirty-Nine  Articles"  of 
the  Church  of  England,  or  Episcopal  Church.  This  Creed  was 
formulated  in  the  days  of  the  Reformation  and  since  1562  has 
remained  unaltered. 

In  this  connection  the  reader  should  call  to  mind  that  John 
Wesley,  the  founder  of  Methodism,  lived  and  died  in  full  con- 
nection with  the  Church  of  England.  The  distinctive  work  of 
Wesley,  which  was  called  "Methodism,"  was  introduced  into 
America  by  immigrants  and  spread  rapidly.  For  many  years 
"Methodism,"  as  a  distinct  form  of  Church  life,  was  entirely  in 
the  hands  of  "lay"  evangelists.    Among  the  latter  was  Francis 

5  "Albright  and  Miller,"  p.  129. 

6  "August  5,  1810,  Middletown,  Pa.  We  here  broke  bread  with  Doctor 
Roemer.  a  German,  who  has  translated  our  Discipline  for  our  country- 
men."   (Bishop  Asbury's  Journal,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  293.) 


ECCLESIASTICAL  ORGANIZATION. 

Asbury,  destined  to  be  the  first  bishop  of  Methodism  in  America. 
He  was  born  in  1745,  was  converted  in  boyhood,  and  became  a 
Methodist.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  became  a  local  preacher, 
and  as  such  came  to  America  as  a  lay  missionary  when  twenty-six 
years  of  age.  Through  Asbury,  chiefly,  Methodism  spread 
rapidly,  but  all  its  ministers  were  simply  evangelists  or  local 
preachers. 

In  1784,  Rev.  Thomas  Coke,  a  co-laborer  with  Wesley,  and 
a  presbyter  of  the  Church  of  England,  was  sent  by  the  latter  to 
America  to  organize  Methodism  and  impart  ordination  to  its 
ministr}^  The  famous  ''Christmas"  conference  (Dec.  25,  1784), 
held  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  marks  the  beginning  of  the  ecclesi- 
astical history  of  Methodism  in  America.  At  that  time  Coke  or- 
dained Asbury,  first  as  a  deacon,  then  as  an  elder,  and  on  the 
twenty-seventh  as  bishop  of  the  newly-organized  "Methodist 
Episcopal  Church."  The  Book  of  Discipline  containing  the 
Creed,  regulations,  etc.,  had  been  prepared  for  them  by  Wesley 
himself,  drawn  by  him  from  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  a  few 
of  the  regulations  excepted.  Bishop  Asbury,  with  true  apos- 
tolic zeal,  labored  in  this  distinctive  field  until  called  to  his  re- 
ward in  1 81 6. 

In  considering  the  appropriation  by  Wesley  of  the  doctrinal 
part  of  the  Creed  of  the  Church  of  England,  we  find  that  he 
adopted  only  that  which  in  his  judgment  was  essential,  omitting 
such  paragraphs  and  articles  not  of  moment  to  the  new  Con- 
nection. Article  XXIII,  The  recognition  of  the  Government  of 
the  United  States,  is  the  only  one  not  drawn  from  the  ''Thirty- 
Nine  Articles." 

We  here  subjoin  the  Articles  of  Faith  as  furnished  by  Wesley. 
The  numbers  in  brackets  are  their  corresponding  numbers  in 
the  Episcopal  Creed. 


7 


98  A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


Methodist  (1784)  and  Evangelical  (1809)  Articles  of  Faith. 


I. 

[I.] 

Of  Faith  in  the  Holy  Trinity. 

2. 

[IL] 

Of  the  Word,  or  Son  of  God  who  was  made 

very  Man. 

3. 

[IV.] 

Of  the  Resurrection  of  Christ. 

4. 

[V.] 

Of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

5. 

[VL] 

The  Sufficiency  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  for 

Salvation. 

6. 

[VII.] 

Of  the  Old  Testament. 

7. 

[IX.] 

Of  Original  or  Birth  Sin. 

8. 

[X.] 

Of  Free  Will. 

9. 

[XL] 

Of  the  Justification  of  Man. 

10. 

[XIL] 

Of  Good  Works. 

II. 

[XIV.] 

Of  Works  of  Supererogation. 

12. 

[XVI.] 

Of  Sin  after  Baptism,  (''Justification,"  Meth- 

odist and  Evangelical). 

13. 

[XIX.] 

Of  the  Church. 

14. 

[XXII.] 

Of  Purgatory. 

15. 

[XXIV.] 

Of  speaking  in  the  Congregation  in  such  a 

tongue  as  the  people  understand. 

16. 

[XXV.] 

Of  the  Sacraments. 

17. 

[XXVIL] 

Of  Baptism. 

18. 

[XXVIIL] 

Of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

19. 

[XXX.] 

Of  Both  Kinds.  (Sacramental.) 

20. 

[XXXI.] 

Of  the  one  Oblation  of  Christ  finished  upon 

the  Cross. 

21. 

[XXXIL] 

Of  the  Marriage  of  Priests.  ("Ministers," 

Methodist  and  Evangelical). 

22. 

[XXXIV.] 

Of  the  Traditions  of  the  Church,  (''Rites  and 

Ceremonies"). 

23- 

Of  the  Rulers  of  the  United  States,  (Wes- 

leyan,  adopted  by  Evangelical). 

24. 

[XXXVIIL] 

Of  Christian  Men's  Goods,  which  are  not 

common. 

25. 

[XXXIX.] 

Of  a  Christian  Man's  Oath. 

26, 

Of  the  Last  Judgment.    This  was  the  only 

Article  supplied  by  Miller, 


ECCLESIASTICAL  ORGANIZATION. 


99 


In  the  new  edition  of  the  EvangeHcal  Discipline  (1817), 
Articles  11,  14,  19,  21,  and  22,  are  omitted,  thus  reducing  the 
Evangelical  Creed  to  twenty-one  Articles.  The  Baptismal,  Mar- 
riage, Burial,  and  Sacramental  rituals  in  the  new  Evangelical 
Discipline  were  also  taken  from  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer. 

In  closing  this  subject  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Evan- 
gelical body  planted  itself  squarely  upon  a  Creed  of  the  Refor- 
mation period,  and,  considering  the  Methodists  as  of  English 
origin,  the  Evangelical  is  the  only  denomination  of  strictly 
American  origin  which  has  that  distinction. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Denominational  Development. 

Success  at  Linglestown — A  memorable  Baster  meeting — Albright  disabled 
— New  leaders  to  the  front — Success  continues — Second  conference — 
Ordination  at  Bby's — First  Discipline  and  Catechism  published — Third 
conference — first  camp-meeting — Successive  conferences — First  Gen- 
eral Conference — Bvangelical  Association. 

SOMETIME  in  the  winter  of  1807-8  Albright  passed  through 
Linglestown,  Dauphin  County,  during  a  snow  storm,  and 
stopped  at  the  home  of  Peter  Raidabaugh,  who  lived  near  the 
village,  and  asked  permission  to  stay  over  night,  which  was 
granted.  Mr.  Raidabaugh  was  a  man  highly  esteemed,  a  deacon 
and  the  chorister  of  the  Lutheran  church  at  that  place.  Soon 
after  Albright  had  entered  the  house  the  storm  abated,  and  he 
informed  his  host  that  he  was  a  minister  and  with  his  permission 
he  would  preach  in  his  house  that  evening.  This  request  also 
was  granted  and  an  effort  was  made  to  gather  the  people  for  the 
service.  The  sermon  was  based  on  the  words,  "If  we  confess  our 
sins,  He  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse 
us  from  all  unrighteousness"  (i  Jno.  1:9).  On  account  of  the 
spiritual  darkness  of  the  community  the  sermon  created  quite  a 
sensation,  and  the  speaker  was  publicly  charged  by  his  hearers 
with  having  preached  false  doctrine.  The  hearers  held  that  all 
men  are  sinners  and  must  remain  so  till  death.  This  was  the 
prevalent  notion  of  the  Germans  at  that  time.  Albright,  how- 
ever, pointed  them  to  the  Bible  that  lay  before  him  as  the  author- 
ity for  his  doctrine  which  also  was  in  harmony  with  their  own 
Catechism  in  which  they  all  believed.  Upon  this  his  host  and 
others  began  a  comparison  of  the  teachings  of  their  Catechism 
and  the  doctrine  preached,  with  the  result  that  they  were  led  to 
see  the  truth  of  the  sermon.  Then  Raidabaugh  permitted  an- 
other service  to  be  appointed  in  his  house  for  a  Sunday  morning. 
On  that  occasion  a  large  number  of  evil-disposed  persons  came  to 

100 


DENOMINATIONAL  DEVELOPMENT. 


lOI 


the  house  for  the  purpose  of  breaking  up  the  meeting.  But  they 
came  too  late,  as  the  service  had  already  been  concluded  and 
Albright,  accompanied  by  Raidabaugh,  had  started  for  the  after- 
noon appointment  at  Michael  Becker's,  eight  miles  distant. 

The  leaven  of  the  gospel  was  working  fast  at  Linglestown. 
Many  people  were  convinced  of  the  truth  and  an  ingathering  was 
in  prospect.  So  great  was  the  opposition  on  the  part  of  many 
against  the  work  of  Albright,  that  they  resolved  to  prevent  his 
inroads  by  force.  Accordingly  when  he  made  his  third  visit  to 
the  place,  and  while  preaching  at  the  house  of  Raidabaugh, 
an  attack  was  made  upon  the  congregation  in  which  a  number 
of  the  Evangelicals  were  injured,  but  Albright  escaped  without 
injury.^  Raidabaugh  now  identified  himself  with  the  Evan- 
gelical cause  and  he  and  others  who  joined  him  became  the  sub- 
jects of  bitter  persecution. 

A  Memorable  Easter  Meeting.— On  Easter  day,  1808,  there 
was  held  a  general  meeting  at  the  house  of  John  Brobst,  in  Al- 
bany Township,  Berks  County.  This  was  also  the  home  of  the 
Millers,  Brobst  being  their  brother-in-law.  This  meeting  was 
attended  by  all  the  ministers,  and  seems  to  have  been  of  a  semi- 
official character,  as  some  business  was  transacted.  Among 
other  things,  Albright  stationed  the  preachers,  and  this  for  the 
last  time.  He  placed  Walter  and  Fry  on  the  old,  and  Miller 
and  Dreisbach  on  the  new  circuit. 

Albright's  health  had  been  failing  very  fast  since  the  confer- 
ence, and  he  preached  and  traveled  with  great  difficulty.  Not- 
withstanding his  precarious  condition  he  was  loath  to  leave  the 
field.  A  general  meeting  had  been  appointed  at  the  home  of 
Peter  Raidabaugh  at  Linglestown,  to  be  held  one  week  later  than 
the  one  at  Brobst's.  This  meeting  was  attended  by  Albright, 
Miller  and  Dreisbach,  who  evidently  went  there  directly  from 
the  Easter  meeting.  Albright  was  not  able  to  preach  at  this 
meeting  and  at  its  close  he  started  for  his  home  nearly  fifty  miles 
away.  With  this  meeting  we  draw  the  curtain  on  the  public  life 
of  this  great  and  good  man.    From  here  Miller  and  Dreisbach 

I  See  "Evangelical  Annals,"  p.  54.  Father  Raidabaugh  removed  to 
Morrow  County,  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  1838,  aged  74  years. 


102 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


started  for  their  fields  of  labor,  while  their  leader  went  home,  as 
they  well  knew,  to  die. 

Continuation  o£  Albright's  Work. — The  loss  of  their  intrepid 
leader  did  not  in  the  least  check  the  spread  of  the  Evangelical 
work.  Although  Walter  was  the  senior  in  service,  to  Miller  was 
awarded  the  leadership  of  the  infant  society,  by  general  consent. 
The  young  men  in  preparation  for  work  were  now  ready  to  take 
the  field.  Sometime  during  the  summer  (1808)  Jacob  Fry, 
Walter's  assistant  on  the  old  circuit,  was  sent  to  organize  the 
work  of  the  third,  or  Franklin  Circuit,  already  noted.  John  Erb, 
of  Lancaster  County,  took  his  place.  The  prospects  on  this  third 
field  were  very  promising.  Albright  and  Walter  had  sown  the 
good  seed  in  many  places,  as  we  have  seen.  In  the  midst  of  his 
success  Fry  left  the  field  in  consequence  of  a  misdemeanor,  and 
the  work  was  irregularly  supplied  for  some  time. 

Another  sore  trial,  second  only  to  the  death  of  Albright,  now 
befell  the  Evangelical  work.  In  December  (1808),  while  assist- 
ing Dreisbach  at  a  meeting  in  Lost  Creek  Valley,  in  Juniata 
County,  Miller  broke  down  completely  and  retired  to  his  home  in 
Berks  County.  Although  he  was  able  to  render  some  assistance 
and  retained  the  leadership  for  some  years,  he  never  again  oc- 
cupied a  field  of  labor.  But  since  the  Evangelical  work  was  of 
God,  He  had  a  man  ready  to  take  the  place  of  Miller,  in  the 
person  of  the  gifted  and  devoted  Mathias  Betz,  of  Milheim, 
Centre  County.  Dreisbach  was  now  in  charge  of  the  new  cir- 
cuit with  Betz  as  his  assistant. 

The  Second  Annual  Conference  was  held  in  April,  1809,  at 
the  home  of  John  Brobst  in  Berks  County.  This  was  the  same 
place  where  the  Easter  meeting  was  held  one  year  previous. 
The  ministers  recorded  as  present  were  George  Miller,  presi- 
dent; John  Dreisbach,  secretary;  John  Walter,  John  Erb, 
Mathias  Betz,  and  Henry  Niebel.  There  is  no  record  of  local 
preachers  being  present,  although  there  were  doubtless  some 
present. 

The  records  of  business  transacted  are  very  meager.  John 
Walter  and  John  Dreisbach  were  voted  elder's  orders,  but  their 
ordination — as  well  as  that  of  Miller,  which  had  been  granted  him 
at  the  first  conference — was  deferred  for  some  unknown  reason, 


DENOMINATIONAL  DEVELOPMENT.  103 


until  a  general  meeting  a  few  months  later,  at  the  house  of 
Henry  Eby,  near  Lebanon.  Jacob  Fry  was  excluded  from  the 
Connection. 

Rev.  George  Miller  reported  the  completion  of  the  Church 
Discipline  which  he  had  been  appointed  to  prepare.  The  con- 
ference approved  the  work  and  authorized  him  to  have  it  printed. 
John  Dreisbach,  having  translated  a  Catechism  from  the  Eng- 
lish, was  authorized  to  publish  it.  Both  the  foregoing  books  ap- 
peared soon  afterwards  (1809),  and  were  the  first  fruits  of  our 
Evangelical  literature. 

John  Walter  was  allowed  $42.00  out  of  the  subsidiary  fund 
for  the  purchase  of  a  horse. 

It  was  resolved  that  for  the  present  the  body  should  be  known 
by  the  title  ''The  So-called  Albright  People"  (Die  sogenannten 
Albrecht's  Leute.") 

Rev.  George  Miller  was  requested  to  write  and  preach  as  his 
failing  health  would  permit. 

The  preachers  were  assigned  as  follows :  Schuylkill  Circuit 
(old),  John  Dreisbach,  Henry  Niebel,  and  M.  Betz;  North- 
umberland Circuit  (new),  John  Walter  and  John  Erb.  Frank- 
lin Circuit  was  served  irregularly. 

Notwithstanding  the  death  of  Albright  and  the  breakdown  of 
JMiller,  the  work  had  been  successful  and  five  classes  had  been 
formed  during  the  past  year. 

The  Third  Conference  was  held  at  the  home  of  George 
Becker,  on  the  Muehlbach,  April  18-20,  18 10.  Rev.  George 
Miller  was  president  and  Rev.  John  Dreisbach  secretary.  The 
itinerants  now  numbered  seven,  and  the  local  preachers  ten.  The 
membership  was  528.  Michael  Becker  and  David  Yerlitz  were 
received  in  the  traveling  connection,  and  J.  Erb  and  M.  Betz 
were  ordained  deacons.  George  Miller  was  again  requested  to 
write  and  preach  as  his  health  would  permit.  John  Walter  was 
authorized  to  publish  a  small  hymn  book  he  had  prepared. 

It  was  resolved  to  hold  two  camp-meetings  this  year,  the  first 
of  the  Connection.  The  first  was  held  in  May,  on  the  Michael 
Maize  farm,  two  miles  below  New  Berlin,  in  Union  County, 
and  the  second  at  Rev.  George  Miller's,  in  Berks  County,  in 


I04 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


October.  These  were  the  first  German  camp-meetings  ever  held 
in  America,  and  perhaps  in  the  world. 

The  preachers  were  stationed  as  follows :  Schuylkill  and  Lan- 
caster Circuit,  J.  Walter,  H.  Niebel,  and  M.  Becker;  North- 
umberland, John  Dreisbach  and  D.  Yerlitz;  Franklin,  J.  Erb 
and  M.  Betz.  Arrangements  were  made  for  some  of  the  preach- 
ers to  exchange  places  during  the  year.  This  was  a  year  of  suc- 
cess, and  many  classes  were  formed,  especially  on  the  Franklin 
Circuit. 

The  Fourth  Annual  Conference  was  held  on  the  Muehlbach, 
April  9-1 1,  181 1.  George  Miller  was  president;  John  Dreis- 
bach, secretary;  L.  Zimmerman  was  received  in  the  traveling 
connection  ;  H.  Niebel  was  ordained  deacon.  There  were  twelve 
local  preachers.  Fourteen  new  classes  had  been  formed.  The 
entire  membership  was  740.  The  average  salary  of  the  preachers 
was  $29.00.    Catechetical  instruction  was  enjoined. 

The  ministers  were  stationed  as  follows :  Schuylkill,  J.  Wal- 
ter, M.  Betz,  and  D.  Yerlitz;  Northumberland,  J.  Erb  and  L. 
Zimmerman;  Franklin,  John  Dreisbach,  H.  Niebel,  and  M. 
Becker.  George  Miller  was  again  requested  to  assist,  as  his 
health  permitted. 

The  Fifth  Annual  Conference  was  held  at  the  home  of  Mar- 
tin Dreisbach,  in  Buf¥alo  Valley,  Union  County,  April  1-3,  181 2. 
George  Miller  was  president ;  John  Dreisbach,  secretary.  John 
Erb  was  ordained  elder  and  Henry  Niebel  deacon.  Five  young 
men  were  received  in  the  traveling  connection — Robert  Mc- 
Cray,  Michael  Diebler,  Abraham  Huth,  John  Buchwalter,  and 
Frederick  Shower.   The  membership  was  761. 

The  preachers  were  stationed  as  follows :  Franklin  Circuit, 
J.  Walter  and  D.  Yerlitz;  Lancaster  Circuit,  J.  Erb  and  M. 
Diebler;  York  Circuit,  M.  Betz  and  M.  Becker;  Schuylkill 
Circuit,  H.  Niebel  and  A.  Huth;  Northumberland  Circuit,  L. 
Zimmerman,  J.  Buchwalter,  and  F.  Shower.  To  form  a  new 
circuit,  J.  Dreisbach  and  R.  McCray.  Conference  directed  that 
efforts  be  made  to  purchase  lots  and  erect  homes  for  poor 
itinerants  on  the  Schuylkill  and  Northumberland  Circuits,  and 
the  matter  was  left  in  the  hands  of  the  elders  and  trustees  of 
those  charges. 


DENOMINATIONAL  DEVELOPMENT.  T05 


The  Sixth  Annual  Conference  was  held  at  the  home  of  Mar- 
tin Dreisbach,  April  21-23,  1813,  with  George  Miller  president 
and  John  Dreisbach  secretary.  Two  preachers  were  expelled; 
G.  Miller  and  J.  Erb  located  because  of  bodily  infirmities;  H. 
Niebel  and  M.  Betz  were  voted  elder's  orders,  and  D.  Yerlitz 
and  L.  Zimmerman  deacon's  orders.  Five  young  men  entered 
the  traveling  connection  as  follows :  Adam  Hennig,  John  Klein- 
felter,  John  Stambaugh,  Jacob  Kleinfelter,  and  John  Walter. 
The  preachers  were  stationed  as  follows :  Schuylkill  Circuit,  J. 
Walter,  J.  Kleinfelter,  and  J.  Walter,  Jr.;  Northumberland, 
M.  Betz,  R.  McCray,  A.  Buchman,  and  J.  Stambaugh ;  Frank- 
lin, H.  Niebel  and  M.  Diebler;  York,  L.  Zimmerman  and  F. 
Shower.  To  organize  a  new  circuit,  J.  Dreisbach  and  A.  Hen- 
nig; a  second  new  circuit,  D.  Yerlitz  and  John  Kleinfelter. 

The  Seventh  Annual  Conference  also  was  held  at  the  house 
of  Martin  Dreisbach,  April  13-15,  1814;  John  Dreisbach  presi- 
dent, Henry  Niebel  secretary.  One  minister  was  deposed;  M. 
Betz  died,  and  John  Walter,  Albright's  first  assistant,  left  the 
active  work.  Thomas  Brewer,  Michael  Walter,  and  Henry 
Stauffer  were  taken  into  the  traveling  connection;  F.  Shower, 
A.  Hennig,  A.  Buchman,  and  J.  Stambaugh  were  ordained 
deacons.  John  Dreisbach  was  elected  presiding  elder  for  a  term 
of  four  years,  being  the  first  incumbent  of  that  office.  The  min- 
isters were  placed  as  follows :  Union  Circuit,  H.  Neibel  and 
John  Kleinfelter;  Bedford,  D.  Yerlitz  and  Michael  Walter; 
York,  J.  Stambaugh  and  T.  Brewer;  Franklin,  F.  Shower; 
Somerset,  A.  Buchman  and  Jacob  Kleinfelter;  Lancaster,  L. 
Zimmerman  and  H.  Stauffer;  Schuylkill,  A.  Hennig. 

The  Eighth  Annual  Conference  was  held  at  the  house  of 
Jacob  Kleinfelter,  near  Shrewsbury,  York  County,  April  4-6, 
181 5.  The  officers  were  Henry  Niebel  president,  John  Klein- 
felter secretary.  David  Thomas,  John  DeHoff,  and  Jacob 
Brewer  were  taken  into  the  traveling  connection;  D.  Yerlitz 
located;  John  and  Jacob  Kleinfelter  (brothers),  and  T.  Brewer 
were  ordained  deacons.  H.  Niebel  was  elected  as  the  second 
presiding  elder.  The  conference  was  divided  into  two  districts, 
name  Canaan  and  Salem. 


io6 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


The  preachers  were  assigned  as  follows :  1.  Canaan  District, 
J.  Dreisbach,  presding  elder ;  Franklin  Circuit,  T.  Brewer  and 
J.  DeHoff;  York,  A.  Buchman  and  D.  Thomas;  Lancaster, 
John  Kleinfelter  and  J.  Brewer;  Schuylkill,  L.  Zimmerman. 
IL  Salem  District,  H.  Niebel,  presiding  elder ;  Union  Circuit,  J. 
Stambaugh  and  Jacob  Kleinfelter;  Centre,  F.  Shower  and  H. 
Stauffer;  Somerset,  A.  Hennig  and  M.  Walter. 

The  Ninth  Annual  Conference  was  held  at  the  home  of 
Abraham  Eyer  at  (now)  Winfield,  Union  County,  June  11-13, 
1816.  Chairman,  J.  Dreisbach;  secretary,  H.  Niebel.  A. 
Buchman,  T.  Brewer  and  H.  Stauffer  located ;  George  Miller 
had  died ;  L.  Zimmerman  and  F.  Shower  were  ordained  elders, 
and  M.  Walter,  D.  Thomas,  J.  DeHoff  and  Solomon  Miller 
deacons.  The  latter  was  one  of  the  first  local  preachers  (1806). 
There  were  now  41  local  ministers  in  the  Connection.  Nine  men 
yere  received  into  the  ministry,  namely,  John  Frueh,  Philip 
Smith,  Moses  DeHoff,  Adam  and  Benjamin  Ettinger,  John 
Shilling,  John  Rickel,  Andrew  Wolf  and  F.  Kaltreiter. 

This  session  marks  a  new  era  in  the  Evangelical  work.  The 
conference  seems  to  have  reached  the  stage  of  denominational 
consciousness  and  accordingly  resolved  to  hold  a  General  Con- 
ference composed  of  representative  ministers.  A  printing  house, 
denominational  literature,  etc.,  were  provided  for,  missionary 
work  was  instituted,  and  charges  were  formed  in  New  York 
and  Ohio. 

The  following  assignment  of  the  ministers  will  show  the  ex- 
pansion of  the  work  at  this  period  :  L  Canaan  District,  J.  Dreis- 
bach presiding  elder.  Franklin  Circuit,  J.  Brewer  and  F.  Kalt- 
reiter; York,  L.  Zimmerman  and  A.  Ettinger;  Lancaster,  D. 
Thomas  and  A.  Wolfe;  Schuylkill,  J.  Frueh  and  B.  Ettinger; 
Lake  Mission  (in  Seneca  County,  New  York),  Jacob  Klein- 
felter. IL  Salem  District,  H.  Niebel  presiding  elder.  Union 
Circuit,  John  Kleinfelter  and  M.  DeHoff ;  Columbia,  P.  Smith ; 
Centre,  J.  Stambaugh;  Bedford,  J.  DeHoff  and  J.  Shilling; 
Somerset,  M.  Walter  and  J.  Rickel;  Canton  Mission  (Ohio), 
A.  Hennig;  Scioto  Mission  (Ohio),  F.  Shower. 

The  First  General  Conference. — Pursuant  to  the  order  of  the 
last  annual  conference,  the  delegates  met  at  the  house  of  Martin 


DENOMINATIONAL  DEVELOPMENT.  107 


Dreisbach  in  Bufifalo  Valley,  to  hold  the  first  General  Confer- 
ence, October  14-17,  1816.  J.  Dreisbach  was  elected  president 
and  H.  Niebel  secretary.  There  were  present  also  J.  Erb,  J. 
Stambaugh,  J.  Kleinfelter,  S.  Miller,  D.  Thomas,  J.  Frueh  and 
A.  Ettinger. 

The  printing  house  at  New  Berlin  was  placed  in  charge  of 
Rev.  S.  Miller.  The  hymn  book  and  new  (revised)  Discipline 
prepared  by  J.  Dreisbach  and  H.  Niebel,  by  order  of  the  last 
conference,  were  approved  and  ordered  to  be  printed.  Bishop 
Christian  Newcomer,  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  was 
present  on  behalf  of  his  denomination  to  urge  a  union  of  the  two 
bodies,  whereupon  a  committee  was  appointed  to  meet  a  similar 
committee  of  the  United  Brethren  Church  to  discuss  the  matter. 
Meanwhile  the  publication  of  the  hymn  book  and  Discipline  was 
deferred.  This  joint  commission  met  at  the  house  of  Henry 
Kummler,  near  Greencastle,  Pa.,  on  February  14,  181 7,  but 
failed  to  effect  the  union.  The  General  Conference  adopted  the 
name  "The  Evangelical  Association  of  North  America,"  as  the 
official  designation  of  the  former  "So-called  Albright  People." 

At  this  point  we  may  properly  close  our  records  relative  to  the 
formative  period  of  the  work  of  Rev.  Jacob  Albright,  as  from 
this  conference  forward  its  further  consideration  belongs  to  the 
wider  field  of  denominational  history. 

In  closing  we  may  yet  note  that  at  the  time  of  this  conference 
the  first  Church  edifice  was  in  course  of  erection  at  New  Berlin, 
in  the  rear  of  which  was  the  printing  house.  A  distinctive  de- 
nominational literature  was  provided.  Moreover,  the  Evangelical 
work  was  established  in  five  states,  namely,  Pennsylvania,  Mary- 
land, Virginia,  New  York,  and  Ohio,  and  all  this  within  eight 
years  after  the  death  of  the  founder  of  the  Church. 


CHAPTER  X. 


Last  Days  of  Albright. 

Albright  bids  farewell  to  his  ministers  —  Journeys  homeward  —  Reaches 
George  Becker's — Triumphant  death — Im<pressive  obsequies — His  fam- 
ily— His  personal  appearance — His  influence  on  others — "Afterglow" — 
Centennial  Celebration  of  First  Conference  Organization. 

WE  now  come  to  the  closing  scenes  of  the  Hfe  of  this  remark- 
able man,  Rev.  Jacob  Albright.  In  the  previous  chapter 
we  left  him  in  a  precarious  condition  the  week  following  Easter, 
1808,  while  attending  a  general  meeting  at  the  house  of  Peter 
Raidabaugh,  at  Linglestown,  Dauphin  County.  At  the  close  of 
this  meeting  his  coworkers,  Miller  and  Dreisbach,  took  their 
departure  for  their  field  of  labor.  Albright  was  not  able  to 
preach  at  this  meeting  and  w.as  rapidly  growing  weaker.  Just 
before  his  coworkers  left  him,  he  gave  them  this  excellent 
counsel : 

"In  all  you  do  or  intend  to  do,  let  it  he  your  aim  to  promote  the 
honor  and  glory  of  God,  and  to  promulgate  and  exalt  the  opera- 
tions of  His  grace,  both  in  your  own  hearts  and  among  your  breth- 
ren and  sisters;  and  be  faithful  coworkers  with  them  in  the  path 
which  the  Lord  has  shozm  unto  you,  and  He  will  grant  you  His 
blessing." 

As  he  extended  his  parting  hand  to  Dreisbach  he  quoted  the 
lines  of  a  familiar  hymn : 

''Kdmpfe  bis  aufs  Blut  und  Leben; 
Dring  hinein  in  Gottes  Reich." 

["Fight  on  even  unto  blood  and  death;  press  into  the  kingdom 
o{  God."] 

The  purpose  of  Albright  was  tO'  reach  his  home,  about  forty 
miles  distant,  by  easy  stages.  From  Raidabaugh's  he  rode  to 
Peter  Walter's,  near  Jonestown,  whom  we  have  already  noted 
as  one  of  the  first  adherents  of  Albright  in  Bucks  County  and 

108 


LAST  DAYS  OF  ALBRIGHT. 


109 


the  first  class  leader  of  the  Connection.  Accompanied  by  Abra- 
ham, son  of  Father  Walter,  he  proceeded  to  the  home  of  Jacob 
Gleim,  in  the  vicinity  of  Shafferstown.  From  here,  accompanied 
by  Gleim,  he  started  on  the  last  stage  of  his  journey  to  the  home 
which  was  fifteen  miles  distant.  But  his  strength  was  exhausted 
and  he  found  it  impossible  to  continue  his  journey. 

He  was  now  in  the  locality  where  he  had  begun  his  evangelistic 
labors.  Here  he  had  suffered  the  greatest  persecution  for  preach- 
ing the  gospel,  and  here  his  heavenly  Master  had  given  him  his 
greatest  success.  He  was  now  on  the  Muehlbach,  where  lived 
George  Becker,  in  whose  house  he  had  held  the  Council  of  1806, 
and  Samuel  Becker,  in  whose  house  he  had  held  his  first  confer- 
ence. Here  was  a  good  place  to  die,  amid  the  trophies  of  his 
labors.  Coming  from  the  direction  of  Shafferstown  the  house 
of  George  Becker  is  reached  first.  This  good  man  had  a  room 
with  bed  dedicated  to  the  use  of  ministers.  On  reaching  the 
short  lane  that  leads  from  the  public  road  to  the  house,  Albright 
and  his  companions  were  seen  approaching  by  the  Becker  fam- 
ily. As  he  reached  the  gate  he  was  met  by  his  friends,  who  ten- 
derly assisted  him  from  his  horse.  The  first  expression  of  the 
sick  man  was  one  of  peculiar  sadness :  ''Have  you  made  my  bed 
ready  f  I  have  come  here  to  die." 

♦  Yes,  the  bed  was  ready  for  the  weary  pilgrim,  and  willing 
hands  and  loving  hearts  were  ready  to  minister  to  the  needs  of 
this  faithful  servant  of  the  Most  High. 

The  news  of  Albright's  fatal  illness  spread  rapidly  among  his 
followers,  so  that  when  the  end  came  it  was  not  unexpected.  On 
his  death  bed  he  steadfastly  refused  to  speak  of  his  suffering. 
Knowing  that  he  had  but  a  short  time  to  live,  his  constant  aim 
was  to  magnify  the  Lord  Jesus.  His  sick  chamber  was  not  a 
place  of  sorrow,  but  the  portal  of  his  heavenly  mansion.  In  the 
Muehlbach  class  were  many  fine  singers,  especially  Anna  Yost, 
and  the  survivors  of  the  Becker  families  loved  to  tell  how  these 
singers  daily  gathered  around  the  bed  of  the  dying  saint  and  sang 
of  the  "Rest  remaining  for  the  People  of  God." 

Albright  retained  his  faculties  to  the  last  moment  and  as  death 
drew  near  gave  evidence  of  being  filled  with  unutterable  joy. 
Just  before  his  departure  he  was  asked  how  he  felt.    With  a 


no 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


smile  he  replied,  ''Happy  and  heavenly."  After  a  pause  he 
added,  '7  shall  soon  he  in  heaven."  These  were  his  last  words, 
and  soon  his  mighty  spirit  took  its  triumphant  flight  to  receive 
its  rich  reward — a  victor's  crown.  May  i8,  1808,  was  the  day 
of  the  home-going. 

The  news  of  Albright's  death  and  the  announced  date  of  his 
obsequies  spread  with  surprising  swiftness  far  and  near,  and  the 
funeral  was  consequently  attended  by  a  very  large  number  of 
people.  The  funeral  services  were  conducted  by  his  spiritual 
son,  the  eloquent  John  Walter,  who  is  said  to  have  preached  a 
marvellous  sermon  from  the  words,  "They  that  he  wise  shall 
shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  and  they  that  turn  many 
to  righteousness  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever."  (Dan.  12 : 3.) 

Although  the  place  of  Albright's  death  was  within  eleven 
miles  of  his  own  home,  it  was  deemed  befitting  that  he  should 
rather  be  buried  in  the  place  where  he  had  ended  his  pilgrimage, 
the  place  of  the  greatest  victories  of  his  ministry.  The  body  was 
accordingly  laid  away  in  the  private  burial  ground  of  the  Becker 
family  on  the  farm  where  he  had  died.  In  1850  a  memorial  church 
was  erected  near  his  grave  through  contributions  f  rom  all  parts 
of  the  Evangelical  Association.  Here  also  a  village  sprang  up 
named  Klein feltersville,  named  after  Rev.  John  Kleinfelter, 
son-in-law  of  George  Becker,  who  also  slumbers  here.  A  marble 
tombstone  marks  the  grave  with  this  inscription  :  ''To  the  memory 
of  the  Bvangelical  Preacher,  Jacob  Albright,  was  horn  May  ist, 
1759^  died  May  i8th,  1808,  aged  4p  years  and  17  days.  Under  this 
stone  rests  his  body.  Precious  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is  the 
death  of  His  saints." 

The  family  of  Albright  consisted  of  his  wife,  two  sons  and 
one  daughter  who  were  left  in  comfortable  circumstances  as  the 
result  of  the  thrift  and  economy  of  the  husband  and  father,  not- 
withstanding his  frequent  and  prolonged  absence  from  home. 
One  of  the  sons  died  unmarried.  The  other,  David,  was  married, 
in  1826,  to  Mary  Raidabaugh.  They  had  a  large  family  and 
most  of  the  children  became  Evangelical.  In  the  home  of  this 
son  the  widowed  mother  died  in  1828,  as  a  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Association.    This  statement  the  writer  obtained  from 


]}){}]' hi'  f,ri:riTii 
i)m  VU)  2r.ni)  I/S9 
(fori) 

(Vru  /8J^i^  I'uM)  ^808- 
alt 

Wnm  i^irjrni  Strm  vui)pt  (nn  (irbpfti. 

l^rr  (rinrr  SyiiU^m  Iff  wnth 
\\d)i]ifm    fur   I'^nn  S3rrni. 

pjnhii  //6,''i).  0\ 


TOMBSTONE  OE  JACOB  ALBRIGHT. 


LAST   DAYS   OF  ALBRIGHT. 


Ill 


the  widow  of  David  Albright,  in  whose  house  Mother  Albright 
died. 

Sarah,  the  only  daughter  of  Jacob  Albright,  was  married  to 
Noah  Rank,  son  of  Adam  Rank,  who  had  lived  near  the  Al- 
bright home  in  Lancaster  County.  Prior  to  1800,  Adam  Rank 
and  his  brother,  John  Rank,  Sr.,  removed  to  (now)  Union 
County  and  located  where  New  Columbia  now  stands.  At  this 
place  they  were  visited  by  Albright  and  his  co-laborers  and 
Bishop  Newcomer  and  others.  From  New  Columbia,  Noah 
Rank,  Albright's  son-in-law,  removed  to  Tioga  County,  where 
most  of  his  family  became  members  of  the  Evangelical  Associa- 
tion. Still  later  he  removed  to  Illinois  and  located  near  Freeport 
where  he  died  in  1866,  his  wife  having  preceded  him  in  1848. 
Two  of  their  sons,  Richard  and  Jacob,  became  ministers  of  the 
gospel.  The  latter  entered  the  ranks  of  the  Eastern  Conference 
of  the  Evangelical  Association  in  1837,  and  spent  over  forty 
years  in  active  service.  He  was  a  presiding  elder  in  the  Pitts- 
burgh Conference  in  1853- 1857,  and  a  member  of  the  General 
Conference  in  1855.  Later  he  removed  to  Iowa,  where  he  died 
in  1905,  aged  over  ninety  years.  There  are  still  several  repre- 
sentatives of  Albright's  family  in  the  Evangelical  ministry  at  the 
present  time  (1917). 

^  Jacob  Albright  was  of  pleasing  personal  appearance.  He  was 
of  medium  height,  alert  and  active  in  his  bodily  movements.  He 
had  a  high  forehead,  prominent  chin,  dark  eyes  and  hair,  indi- 
cating a  sanguine  temperament.  In  spirit  he  was  singularly  self- 
possessed,  cool  and  calm  under  the  most  trying  circumstances. 
Of  his  powers  as  an  orator  we  have  written  in  another  con- 
nection. His  countenance  reflected  his  deeply  spiritual  nature 
and  calm  repose  of  mind  in  a  marked  degree.  An  aged  saint,^  a 
member  of  the  author's  charge  in  1875-6,  was  wont  to  tell  us  that 
Albright's  countenance  "reminded  her  of  an  angel  because  it  was 
so  heavenly."  After  a  lapse  of  over  seventy  years  the  picture 
of  that  ''heavenly"  countenance  remained  undimmed  in  the 
memory  of  this  old  pilgrim,  and  the  godly  counsels  given  her 

I  Mother  Mary  Moss,  of  Newport,  Pa.  She  was  the  youngest  child  of 
Andrew  Wonder,  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  Thomas  class. 
Mother  Moss  passed  away  in  triumph  in  1877. 


112 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


when  a  little  girl  by  that  man  of  God  still  inspired  her  life  and 
cheered  her  on  her  journey  to  the  home  above.  From  the  lips 
of  other  old  pilgrims,  long  since  passed  to  their  reward,  the 
author  heard  the  same  story  of  Albright's  influence  in  his  inter- 
course with  others. 

A  number  of  Albright's  own  brothers,  who  like  himself  had 
grown  up  in  spiritual  ignorance  and  formalism,  were  through 
his  influence  brought  to  the  light  of  saving  truth.  One  of  these 
was  George  Albright,  who  about  1800  located  in  the  Middle 
Creek  Valley,  in  (now)  Snyder  County,  Pa.  The  home  of  this 
brother  was  one  of  the  early  preaching  places  of  the  evangelist 
in  this  region.  In  1831  he  removed  to  Yeagertown,  Mifllin 
County,  where  he  died  in  1852,  aged  77  years.  Another  brother 
was  David  Albright,  to  whom  his  evangelist  brother  paid  a  visit 
on  a  certain  occasion  and  after  his  departure  David  found  he 
had  written  a  little  message  on  the  fly  leaf  of  his  Bible — two 
lines  of  a  hymn  reading  as  follows  in  English  translation : 

''It  were  better  never  to  he  horn, 
Than  he  forever  lost." 

This  solemn  truth  was  indelibly  impressed  on  David's  heart  and 
proved  to  be  seed  fallen  on  good  ground  that  came  to  fruitage 
''after  many  days."  About  1830  he  removed  to  Bucyrus,  Ohio, 
where  he  was  visited  by  Rev.  William  Nast,  the  leader  of  the 
German  wing  of  the  Miethodist  Episcopal  Church,  through  whose 
ministration  he  was  led  to  Christ  and  united  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church^  He  died  sometime  after  1850,  a  consistent 
member  of  that  church,  as  were  also  many  of  his  descendants. 

The  Afterglow. 

"Can  that  man  he  dead, 
Whose  spiritual  influence  is  upon  his  kind? 
He  lives  in  glory,  and  his  speaking  dust 
Hath  more  of  life  than  had  its  breathing  mold." 

Sacred  Writ  tells  us  that  ''The  path  of  the  just  is  as  the  shining 
light,  that  shineth  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day."  (Prov. 

2  For  an  interesting  account  of  this  circumstance,  see  "Der  Christliche 
Botschafter"  for  1851,  p.  132. 


LAST  DAYS   OF  ALBRIGHT. 


113 


4:  18.)  This  truth  is  illustrated  by  the  abiding  and  growing  in- 
fluence of  the  sainted  Jacob  Albright.  Over  a  century  has  passed 
since  he  fell  cm  sleep,  yet  his  life  of  zeal  and  devotion  to  preach 
the  pure  gospel  still  lives  in  the  spiritual  life  of  tens  of  thousands 
to-day.  The  far-reaching  pov^er  of  his  evangelism  has  penetrated 
every  continent  of  the  globe.  To  the  ecclesiastical  bodies  that 
claim  him  as  their  founder,  his  name  is  still  '*as  an  ointment 
poured  forth,"  exhaling  its  fragrance  in  the  lives  of  many. 
(S.  of  SoL  1:3.) 

One  hundred  years  after  the  organization  of  the  first  Evan- 
gelical Annual  Conference  (1807-1907),  by  Albright,  a  great 
multitude  of  his  spiritual  descendants  assembled  at  the  place  of 
his  first  conference  and  final  resting  place  (Kleinfeltersville,  Pa.), 
to  do  him  honor.  This  Centennial  Celebration  of  the  Organi- 
zation of  the  First  Conference  wsls  the  outcome  of  an  action  to 
this  end  by  the  General  Conference  of  the  United  Evangelical 
Church,  in  1906.  The  committee  having  the  matter  in  charge 
consisted  of  Rev.  J.  H.  Shirey,  president;  Rev.  A.  Stapleton, 
A.M.,  D.D.,  secretary;  Rev.  S.  L.  Wiest,  Rev.  U.  F.  Swengel, 
D.D.,  Rev.  B.  H.  Niebel,  Rev.  W.  M.  Stanford,  D.D.,  Rev. 
A.  J.  Brunner,  and  J.  W.  Slothower. 

The  exercises  of  the  occasion  began  on  the  evening  of  Sep- 
tember 26,  1907.  Rev.  A.  M.  Sampsel  delivered  an  introductory 
address,  followed  by  Rev.  B.  H.  Niebel  on  ''The  Development 
of  the  United  Evangelical  Church."  On  the  following  day  the 
attendance  was  very  large,  over  sixty  ministers  being  present. 
In  the  forenoon  Bishop  H.  B.  Hartzler  spoke  on  "The  Genius 
and  Spirit  of  Our  Church  Life,"  and  Bishop  W.  F.  Heil  on 
"Our  Church  Polity."  In  the  afternoon  the  speakers  were  Rev. 
A.  Stapleton,  A.M.,  D.D.,  on  "Rev.  Jacob  Albright  as  Evan- 
gelist and  Founder."  He  was  followed  by  Rev.  C.  Newton 
Dubs,  D.D.,  Superintendent  of  Missions  in  China,  on  "Mission 
Work  in  China." 

At  sunset  there  was  a  most  impressive  service  at  the  grave  of 
Albright.  Short  addresses  were  made  by  Rev.  C.  S.  Haman, 
Prof.  A.  E.  Gobble,  A.M.,  D.D.,  and  Rev.  S.  L.  Wiest. 
Dr.  Stapleton  then  briefly  spoke  on  Albright  as  a  "Patriot," 


8 


114 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


and  Comrade  Mathias  Sheetz  planted  an  American  flag  on  the 
grave. 

The  celebration  was  concluded  in  the  evening.  Dr.  R.  Dubs, 
D.D.,  LL.D.,  delivered  an  address  on  ''The  United  Evangelical 
Church,  Organized  in  Accordance  with  the  Will  of  God."  He 
was  followed  by  Rev.  W.  M.  Stanford,  A.M.,  D.D.,  on  ''Our 
Future  as  Forecast  by  the  Lessons  of  the  Past."  The  exercises 
and  fellowship  of  the  celebration  were  deeply  impressive  and 
edifying  and  the  event  made  a  most  favorable  impression 
throughout  the  Church. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


"In  Perils  Oft."    (II  Cor.  11:  26). 

Perils  and  hardships  of  Albright  and  Co-laborers — Rev.  John  Walter  al- 
most famished — Albright  mobbed  at  Shafferstown — Good  Samaritans 
appear — Albright  prays  for  Persecutors  by  the  wayside — Serious  Dis- 
turbances at  Miller's — Rowdies  foiled  at  Jonestown — Heroic  Christian 
women — Miller's  Narrow  Escape  from  Death — Opposition  led  by  Min- 
isters. 

IN  the  days  of  early  evangelism  in  America  the  heralds  of  the 
cross  often  passed  through  experiences  that  to  us,  with  our 
modern  advantages,  seem  incredible.  Privation  and  hardship 
was  their  common  experience.  Our  pioneer  Evangelical  preach- 
ers faced  many  perils  in  crossing  swollen  streams,  lofty  moun- 
tains, and  trackless  forests.  There  were  then  very  few  bridges, 
and  with  the  exception  of  a  few  ferries  on  the  larger  rivers, 
there  was  no  other  way  to  cross  streams  but  to  ford  them.  What 
this  meant  in  winter,  when  the  clothing  of  the  itinerant  became 
soaked  with  water  and  then  froze  stiff  on  his  person,  or  when  he 
broke  through  the  ice,  may  well  be  imagined. 

In  many  instances  our  early  evangelists  made  narrow  and 
thrilling  escapes  from  drowning,  as  they  ventured  to  ford  deep 
waters.  Sometimes  they  were  swept  down  by  the  swift  current 
and  were  rescued  as  by  a  miracle.  "The  Everlasting  Arms" 
were  beneath  them.  (Deut.  33:27.)  We  know  of  instances 
when  they  were  pursued  by  packs  of  wolves  or  other  fierce  wild 
beasts.  Ofttimes  their  horses  became  disabled  and  they  were 
compelled  to  pursue  their  journey  on  foot. 

The  widow  of  Rev.  James  Barber,  one  of  our  early  itinerants, 
told  us  that  on  one  occasion  her  husband  came  home  on  foot, 
sick  and  utterly  discouraged.  His  shoes  were  worn  through  and 
he  did  not  have  a  cent  of  money  in  his  pocket.  ''Where  is  your 
horse?"  asked  the  wife.  ''He  is  lying  dead  on  the  Allegheny 
Mountains,"  was  the  answer. 

115 


ii6 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


Rev.  George  Miller,  Albright's  successor,  once  startled  his 
wife  by  coming  home  on  foot  from  a  distant  place  on  a  dark  and 
stormy  night.  He  was  sick,  hungry,  and  discouraged.  His  horse 
had  died  and  he  had  no  means  with  which  to  procure  another 
one.  He  had  fully  determined  tO'  abandon  the  ministry.  His 
noble  wife  refreshed  and  encouraged  him,  and  said  they  would 
plan  for  the  future  after  he  had  recovered  himself.  Like  many 
women  of  her  day,  she  was  an  expert  at  spinning  and  weaving, 
and  had  plied  her  art  industriously  during  her  husband's  long 
periods  of  absence.  Taking  the  products  of  her  industry  to 
Reading,  she  told  them,  and  with  the  proceeds  purchased  another 
horse  for  her  husband,  thus  enabling  him  to  continue  his  evan- 
gelistic work.  But  for  this  noble  deed  of  a  consecrated  w'oman 
our  Evangelical  history  might  read  very  differently. 

Ofttimes  the  evangelists  had  no  money  with  which  to  procure 
supplies  on  their  long  journeys,  and  were  compelled  to  go  hungry 
until  perchance  they  found  a  place  of  entertainment. 

Albright  tells  us^  that  in  his  early  tours  he  sometimes  received 
some  support  which  enabled  him  to  continue  further  in  his 
journeys.  How  insignificant  that  "support"  was,  may  be  inferred 
from  a  statement  made  by  John  Dreisbach  (a  colleague  of  Al- 
bright), that  his  own  receipts  from  preaching  for  a  period  of  six 
months  once  amounted  to  nineteen  cents.^ 

An  incident  related  to  us  by  Jacob  Lauver,  at  whose  father's 
house  in  Mifflin  County,  our  first  Evangelical  preachers  were 
welcomed  as  early  as  1802,  and  perhaps  earlier,  will  illustrate 
the  terrible  privations  endured  by  our  pioneer  itinerants.  His 
parents  were  once  startled  in  the  dead  of  night  by  a  cry  of  dis- 
tress in  the  near  by  forests  and  found  it  came  from  John  Walter, 
Albright's  first  assistant.  Upon  reaching  the  house  he  stated  that 
for  some  days  he  had  been  lost  in  the  Allegheny  Mountains. 
Three  days  had  passed  since  he  had  eaten  a  cooked  meal.  Since 
then  he  and  his  horse  had  eaten  nothing  but  what  they  found  in 
the  forest.    He  asked  Mrs.  Lauver  to  prepare  him  some  warm 

1  "Albrecht  und  Miller,"  p.  26. 

2  "Evangelical  Messenger,"  Vol.  X,  p.  197. 


IN  PERILS  OFT.'* 


117 


food  as  quickly  as  possible.  The  fire  was  speedily  kindled  on  the 
hearth,  the  kettle  suspended  on  the  crane,  and  a  potato  soup  was 
soon  set  before  the  famished  itinerant. 

The  following  incidents  from  the  experiences  of  Albright  and 
his  associates  will  give  us  an  insight  into  their  strenuous  life  and 
show  us  that,  like  the  Apostle  Paul,  they  were  ''in  perils  oft," 
>not  only  from  the  elements  of  nature,  but  at  the  hands  of  their 
fellow  men  as  well.  It  would  seem  impossible  that  in  an  enlight- 
ened Christian  community  there  could  be  any  violent  physical 
opposition  to  the  evangelistic  work  of  our  forefathers.  We  can 
understand  the  religious  intolerance  of  the  Papists,  which  caused 
our  Protestant  fathers  to  come  to  America  in  quest  of  religious 
freedom.  But  it  is  not  so  easy  to  reconcile  the  fact  that  Protes- 
tants themselves  became  as  intolerant  to  dissenters  and  separatists 
here  in  free  America  as  were  the  Papists  of  Europe  as  shown  in 
the  persecution  of  Quakers  and  Baptists  in  New  England. 

In  Pennsylvania,  "Founded  by  Deeds  of  Peace,"  we  would 
naturally  expect  a  most  tolerant  spirit  In  this  we  are  mistaken, 
especially  as  it  relates  to  the  German  element.  The  fact  that  not 
only  the  "Albright  Brethren,"  but  also  the  Methodists  and  the 
United  Brethren,  were  frequently  mobbed  and  many  people 
seriously  injured,  attests  the  degree  of  moral  darkness  into  which 
the  German  masses  had  sunk  when  these  revival  movements  were 
in  their  infancy.  It  was  quite  common  for  mobs  to  attack  houses 
in  which  these  meetings  were  held  and  to  fall  upon  camp-meetings 
in  such  force  as  to  break  them  up.  It  is  said  that  at  least  four 
lives  were  lost  in  the  early  stages  of  the  work  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  the  state  of  Ohio. 

Jacob  Albright's  escapes  from  death  in  the  assaults  made  upon 
his  person  seem  to  us  almost  miraculous.  The  first  severe  attack 
upon  him  was  made  on  the  occasion  of  the  dedication  of  the 
Reformed  church  at  Shafferstown,  Lebanon  County,  in  the  be- 
ginning of  his  ministry.  This  occurred  as  he  was  preaching  to  an 
overflow  assembly  in  the  market  house  near  the  church.  After 
some  very  rough  treatment  he  was  rescued  by  a  powerful  man 
named  Maize,  a  relative  of  the  family  of  that  name  so  promi- 
nently identified  with  Albright's  work  at  New  Berlin.  Maize 
conducted  the  injured  evangelist  to  the  home  of  a  well-disposed 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


man  named  Peter  Mohr,  where  he  remained  secure  for  some 
time. 

About  1799,  while  preaching  at  the  same  place,  Albright  was 
again  assailed  and  almost  killed.  With  his  garments  torn,  body 
bruised  and  face  bleeding  from  wounds,  he  rode  to  the  home  of 
a  pious  Reformed  member  named  Jacob  Zentmayer,  who  lived 
about  two  miles  from  Shafferstown.  These  good  Samaritans  put 
him  to  bed,  dressed  his  wounds  and  sent  for  a  physician.  Al- 
bright's injuries  were  found  to  be  serious  and  he  was  compelled 
to  remain  there  for  two  weeks.  This  kind  family  nursed  him 
tenderly,  paid  the  doctor's  fees,  and  soon  afterwards  espoused 
his  cause  and  remained  members  of  the  Church  Albright  founded 
until  their  death. 

One  of  the  leading  traits  of  Albright  was  his  calmness  and 
composure  amid  persecution  as  illustrated  by  the  following  ex- 
ample :  On  one  occasion,  while  traveling  on  the  turnpike  leading 
from  Reading  to  Womelsdorf,  he  was  recognized  by  a  gang  of 
men  working  on  the  road  who  applied  vile  epithets  to  him. 
Growing  bold,  they  then  stoned  him.  The  evangelist  being  on 
horseback,  could  easily  have  escaped.  Here  now  was  an  oppor- 
tunity to  "do  the  work  of  an  evangelist."  (2  Tim.  4:5.)  Calmly 
dismounting  from  his  horse  he  fell  upon  his  knees  by  the  way- 
side and  offered  up  a  fen^ent  prayer  for  his  persecutors,  where- 
upon they  were  greatly  ashamed  of  their  conduct. 

On  another  occasion,  in  1803,  while  preaching  at  the  house  of 
George  Miller,  (after\vards  his  colleague),  in  Schuylkill  County, 
a  certain  young  man  who  belonged  to  a  party  that  had  come  with 
the  purpose  of  disturbing  the  meeting,  interrupted  his  discourse 
with  outbursts  of  profanity  and  threatened  to  strike  him.  Al- 
bright kindly  remonstrated  against  his  conduct,  but  in  vain. 
Miller  then  attempted  to  eject  the  man,  but  was  himself  seized 
by  the  rowdies  and  violently  thrown  out  of  his  own  house.  For 
this  breach  of  the  peace  Miller  cited  the  assailants  before  a 
justice  of  the  peace,  who  rather  encouraged  their  ungodly  con- 
duct by  promptly  acquitting  them  and  placed  the  costs  on  Miller. 

About  1805,  Albright  and  his  colleagues  had  an  experience  at 
Jonestown,  Lebanon  County,  which  but  for  the  quick  wits  of  the 
evangelists  might  have  proved  disastrous.    One  dark  night,  as 


"IN  PERILS  OFT.' 


119 


they  were  holding  services  in  a  small  union  church,  a  large  crowd 
of  ruffians,  bent  on  putting  an  end  to  their  incursions,  filed  into 
the  building  and  began  a  violent  demonstration  against  the  evan- 
gelists who  then  extinguished  the  lights.  All  was  now  confusion 
within.  Our  handy  matches  were  not  then  in  use,  and  to  light  a 
candle  with  a  flint  spark  in  such  a  pandemonium  was  out  of  the 
question.  Meanwhile  the  evangelists  secured  their  own  safety 
in  the  darkness. 

As  noted  in  a  previous  chapter  one  of  the  most  bitter  opponents 
of  the  early  Evangelical  work  was  Colonel  Michael  Brobst,  the 
father-in-law  of  Revs.  George  and  Solomon  Miller.  On  a  cer- 
tain occasion!  he  went  to  the  house  of  his  son-in-law,  Solomon 
Miller,  at  a  time  when  Albright  was  holding  a  big  meeting  there. 
Upon  entering  the  house  he  drew  his  sword  and  proceeded  to  a 
room  where  a  number  of  women  were  assembled.  His  object 
was  to  frighten  or  intimidate  them.  Standing  before  them  he 
made  terrible  threats,  but  the  women  remained  composed,  not- 
withstanding the  weapon  he  brandished.  Miss  Magdalena 
Walter,  a  sister  of  Rev.  John  Walter,  proved  to  be  the  heroine 
of  the  occasion.  Placing  herself  before  the  enraged  old  man,  she 
Ipoldly  declared  they  were  not  afraid  of  his  threats,  as  they  were 
under  God's  protecting  care,  and  without  His  will  no  harm  could 
befall  His  children.  She  admonished  the  old  man  to  cease  his 
rage  and  think  well  on  his  unseemly  conduct.  Saying  this,  the 
brave  woman  asked  all  in  the  room  to  join  her  in  supplication 
for  the  poor  man,  that  God  would  have  compassion  on  him  and 
bring  him  into  the  light.  This  had  the  desired  effect,  and  the 
old  man  put  up  his  weapon  and  left  the  room.  Afterwards  he 
confessed  that  he  was  ashamed  of  his  conduct. 

In  1805  Albright  conducted  a  big  meeting  at  the  house  of 
Brobst  and  appointed  George  Miller  to  preach  the  first  sermon, 
but  cautioned  him  to  be  very  discreet  in  his  utterances,  because 
Mr.  Brobst  was  very  bitter  against  himi,  as  also  against  Rev. 
John  Walter,  for  having  charged  him  with  hypocrisy  in  sermons 
preached  at  his  place.  To  this  caution  Miller  replied  that  his 
father-in-law  was  a  gross  sinner  whose  sins  he  must  denounce. 
With  a  final  caution  to  exercise  wisdom,  Albright  entered  the 
room  where  the  people  were  assembled,  followed  by  Miller,  and 


120 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


they  saw  Brobst  there  with  his  sword  by  his  side.  When  Brobst 
saw  Miller  his  face  assumed  an  angry  look  and  it  was  evident 
to  all  that  he  would  resent  with  his  weapon  any  personal  refer- 
ences to  himself.  The  situation  was  grave  and  Miller  could  not 
decide  on  what  subject  to  speak,  until  after  the  opening  prayer, 
when  the  words  of  Christ,  "I  am  the  Light  of  the  world,"  flashed 
as  a  revelation  from  above  into,  his  mind.  With  the  text  also 
came  the  message,  and  without  any  previous  preparation  he 
preached  a  sermon  of  wonderful  power.  He  first  depicted  the 
dark  condition  of  the  world  without  Christ,  and  then  portrayed 
'  Christ  in  His  various  perfections  and  offices  as  the  Great  Light- 
Bringer.  The  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  fell  upon  the  assembly, 
Many  began  to  cry  out  for  mercy,  while  believers  shouted  aloud 
for  joy.  The  stern  features  of  the  father-in-law  relaxed  and  he 
seemed  deeply  affected.  Without  saying  a  word  he  arose,  sword 
in  hand,  anid  left  the  room.  Upon  his  withdrawal  Albright 
grasped  the  hand  of  Miller  and  w'ith  tears  in  his  eyes  commended 
his  power  and  skill,  but  because  of  his  father-in-law's  prejudice 
against  him  and  his  hasty  temper,  advised  him,  not  to  preach  in 
his  house  again,  as  the  old  man's  passion  might  get  the  better  of 
him,  with  dire  consequences.  The  wisdom  of  this  advice  was 
manifest  in  the  fact  that  on  May  26,  1806,  while  Miller  was  on 
a  visit  to  his  family,  after  a  prolonged  evangelistic  tour,  his 
father-in-law  came  to  his  house  on  horseback,,  called  him  out  of 
the  house,  and  after  berating  him  roundly,  attempted  tO'  ride  him 
down  with  his  horse.  Miller  saved  himself,  however,  by  standing 
close  to  the  house  and  escaped  with  a  wounded  arm. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  violent  opposition  to  Albright 
and  other  evangelists  was  unpremeditated  and  by  irresponsible 
people.  There  are  instances  on  record  where  ministers  publicly 
urged  their  congregations  to  adopt  violent  measures  to  check  the 
inroads  of  the  evangelists.  Miller  tells  us  that  in  1803  a  godless 
minister  urged  his  people  to  suppress  by  force  the  meetings  Al- 
bright was  holding  at  his  house,  and  if  they  failed  to  do  this  he 
would  no  longer  be  their  pastor.  During  this  same  year  another 
nearby  pastor  undertook  personally  to  convert  Miller  "from  the 
error  of  his  ways,"  and  with  about  thirty  of  his  members  came  to 
Miller's  house  one  Sunday,  first  having  preached  a  sermon  against 


IN  PERILS  OFT." 


121 


the  revival  of  "heretics."  At  first  he  talked  smoothly  and  flatter- 
ingly to  Miller,  but  having  no.  scriptural  arguments  to  sustain  his 
formalism,  he  became  very  angry  and  used  very  unbecoming  lan- 
guage. His  follow^ers  were  much  chagrined  because  of  their  pas- 
tor's unseemly  language  and  woeful  lack  of  scriptural  knowledge, 
and  the  contest  ended  in  a  victory  for  the  evangelist 

Truly  our  Evangelical  forefathers  had  the  spirit  and  devotion 
of  the  martyrs  of  old,  and  their  hardships  and  persecutions  should 
make  us  mindful  of  the  great  debt  we  owe  to  our  early  pioneers 
in  the  field  of  a  world-wide  evangelism. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


Biographical  Supplement,  Embracing  Brief  Biographies 
of  the  Colleagues,  Coworkers,  and  Chief  Con- 
temporary Evangelists  of  Rev.  Jacob  Albright. 

"With  them  His  name  shall  live, 

Through  long  succeeding  years, 
Embalmed — with  all  their  hearts  can  give, 
Their  praises  and  their  tears." 

Colleagues  and  Coworkers  of  Albright. 

BECAUSE  of  the  scanty  records  of  the  times,  it  is  difficult  to 
determine  the  connection  of  some  of  the  early  Evangelical 
workers  with  the  ministry  of  Albright's  time.  By  this  we  mean 
such  lay  ministers  who  are  known  to  have  had  ministerial  authori- 
zation, and  yet  no  records  are  to  be  found  of  their  licensure. 

In  this  connection  it  will  be  well  for  the  reader  to  bear  in  mind 
what  is  said  in  a  previous  chapter  of  the  semi-ministerial  char- 
acter of  the  office  of  "exhorter."  In  the  early  days  of  the  United 
Brethren  the  offices  of  local  preacher  and  exhorter  were  practi- 
cally the  same,  as  the  latter  were  licensed  by  the  yearly  confer- 
ence.^ It  should  be  remembered  also  that  at  the  general  meet- 
ings out  of  which  grew  the  quarterly  conference  of  our  day,  there 
was  always  some  official  business  transacted  by  the  ministers  and 
officials  present.  At  these  meetings,  of  which  no  records  are  pre- 
served, license  to  preach  was  undoubtedly  officially  granted  by 
Albright.  Thus  John  Thomas,  Jr.,  who  died  in  Ohio  in  1836, 
held  a  license  signed  by  Albright.  John  Dreisbach  says  he  re- 
ceived his  first  license  from  Albright  at  a  general  meeting  in 
Penns  Valley,  in  the  spring  of  1807,  but  in  history  he  first  ap- 
pears as  an  applicant  for  work  in  the  fall  of  that  year  at  the  first 
conference. 

In  this  connection,  therefore,  we  deem  it  proper  to  enroll  a 
number  of  men  as  coworkers  with  Albright,  since  they  are 

I  See  Berger's  "History  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,"  p.  171. 

122 


2\mt  md}  xm^tm  (0i:dmm§    'btWnmr  nn^  x>tx<i%b^  - 


FACSIMILIK  OF  license:  AS  A  MINISTER  ON  PROBATION  GRANTED  TO  JOHN 
DREISBACI-I,    DATED    NOVEMBER    I4,     1807,     WITH     SIGNATURE    OF  JACOB 

AIvBRIGHT. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  vSUPPLEMENT. 


123 


known  to  have  been  among  the  first  leaders  and  exhorters,  and 
by  tradition  were  local  preachers  from  the  ''early  days." 

REV.  JOHN  WALTER,  the  first  of  Jacob  Albright's  co- 
laborers,  was  the  son  of  Peter  and  Margaret  Walter,  born 
in  Rock  Hill  Township,  Bucks  County,  August  13,  1781.  As  the 
first  Evangelical  class  was  organized  at  his  father's  house  and  his 
father  was  the  first  class-leader,  it  seems  most  befitting  that  Provi- 
dence singled  out  from  this  excellent  family  one  of  its  members 
as  a  representative  of  its  devotion  to  the  work. 

In  1 801  Albright  took  young  Walter  to  his  home  in  Lancaster 
County,  ostensibly  to  learn  the  trade  of  tile  making,  but  God's 
design  was  otherwise.  Although  the  young  man,  just  out  of  his 
teens,  was  very  illiterate,  he  accompanied  Albright  on  his  evan- 
gelistic tours  from  the  first.  Already  in  1802  we  find  the  young 
man  in  the  saddle,  engaged  in  evangelistic  work,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1803  we  hear  of  his  commanding  eloquence  at  a  bush  meet- 
ing at  Father  Thomas',  in  Mifflin  County. 

It  is  quite  evident  that  the  young  man  applied  himself  vigor- 
ously to  his  books,  from  the  fact  that  he  was  a  most  excellent 
pceacher  and  text  expositor,  and  he  is  justly  regarded  as  the 
most  eloquent  of  all  the  co-laborers  of  Albright.  It  was  not 
unusual  for  him  to  preach  with  such  power  that  large  audiences 
were  raised  to  their  feet  in  praise,  or  pressed  to  their  knees  in  peni- 
tential prayer.  The  author  in  early  life  met  people  who  witnessed 
some  of  these  demonstrations.  The  distinguished  Dr.  J.  G. 
Schmucker,^  for  many  years  pastor  of  the  Lutheran  church  at 
York,  Pa.,  was  an  appreciative  hearer  of  both  Albright  and 
Walter  when  they  preached  in  the  court  house  (the  old  State 
House)  at  York.    In  a  conversation  with  Rev.  W.  W.  Orwig, 

2  Dr.  J.  G.  Schmucker,  once  president  of  the  Lutheran  Synod,  was  one 
of  the  few  prominent  men  of  his  Church  who  defended  the  evangelistic 
measures  of  his  times.  He  once  heard  Albright  preach  on  the  street  at 
Lebanon,  and  thought  well  of  it.  In  1838  he  published  a  book  entitled 
"Die  WcEchter  Stimme  an  Zion's  Kinder^'  (The  Watchman's  Call  to  Zion's 
Children),  in  which  he  defends  emphatically  the  work  of  "The  Albright 
Brethren"  as  of  God,  but  deprecates  their  excess  of  demonstrations.  He 
died  in  1854  and  is  buried  in  front  of  Christ  Lutheran  church  in  York,  Pa. 
He  was  the  father  of  Rev.  S.  S.  Schmucker,  the  distinguished  theologian 
of  the  Lutheran  Church. 


124 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


of  the  Evangelical  Association,  Dr.  Schmucker  expressed  the  opin- 
ion that  Walter  would  have  been  one  of  the  country's  foremost 
preachers,  had  be  been  properly  educated  and  trained.  One  of 
his  greatest  efforts  was  at  New  Berlin  in  1805,  as  related  else- 
where. Another  great  effort  was  at  a  bush  meeting  at  Father 
Thomas',  in  the  fall  of  1803,  when  he  preached  to  a  great  multi- 
tude from  the  words,  'Who  is  she  that  looketh  forth  as  the  morn- 
ing, fair  as  the  moon,  clear  as  the  sun,  and  terrible  as  an  army 
with  banners?"  (S.  of  Sol.  6:10.)  In  1868  an  aged  pilgrim 
told  the  author  that  she  was  present  at  the  first  Evangelical  camp- 
meeting  (1810),  attended  by  a  great  multitude  when  Walter 
preached  a  wonderful  sermon,  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  fell 
on  the  assembly  like  a  magnetic  spell,  and  scores  of  people  fell  on 
their  knees  in  penitence.  The  scene,  she  said,  was  indescribable. 
Another  sermon  of  great  eloquence  and  power  preached  in  1810, 
at  the  house  of  Henry  Myer,  near  Dover,  York  County,  brought 
the  widow  of  the  sainted  Rev.  Adam  Ettinger,  Sr.,  and  his  en- 
tire family  into  the  Evangelical  fold.  Walter  possessed  poetical 
talents  of  a  high  order.  In  1810  he  published  a  small  hymn  book 
containing  fifty-six  hymns,  some  of  them  his  own  composition. 
Some  of  these  effusions  have  survived  of  which  one  of  the  best 
known  is  the  one  he  composed  while  crossing  the  Allegheny 
Mountains  in  a  snowstorm,  on  his  way  to  the  home  of  George 
Kring,  in  Cambria  County,  beginning  as  follows : 

''Kommt^  Brueder,  kommt,  wir  eilen  fort, 
Nach  Neu  Jerusalem. 
Vermerkt  ihr  nicht  die  giildne  Pfort 
Die  dorten  vor  euch  glimmff" 

After  eleven  years  of  most  arduous  labors,  Walter's  health 
failed  completely  and  he  retired  from  the  field.  He  first  moved 
to  the  Muehlbach,  Lebanon  County,  where  his  wife's  people,  the 
Beckers  lived.  Later  he  located  near  Jonestown,  whither  his 
parents  had  moved  from  Bucks  County.  From  1813  to  1818 
this  Evangelical  Boanerges,  who  had  thrilled  thousands  with  his 
fiery  eloquence  was  bound  in  the  fetters  of  a  wasting  comsump- 
tion.  After  much  patient  endurance  he  was  granted  a  triumphant 
entrance  into  the  Saints'  Everlasting  Rest,  on  December  3,  181 8, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SUPPLEMENT. 


125 


at  the  early  age  of  37  years,  3  months  and  6  days.  His  body 
rests  in  the  Faber  family  graveyard,  near  Mt.  Nebo,  where  the 
Evangelical  Association  some  years  ago  placed  a  monument  at 
his  grave. 

Walter  was  married  in  1808,  to  Christena  Becker,  a  sister  of 
the  noted  brothers,  Samuel  and  George  Becker,  of  the  Muehl- 
bach,  where  the  first  conference  was  held  and  where  Albright 
died.  After  Walter's  death  the  widow  retired  to  the  old  Becker 
homestead,  where  she  died  in  1868  and  was  buried  in  the  Becker 
family  graveyard.  John  Walter,  an  only  son,  born  in  1812,  died 
in  Lebanon,  Pa.,  over  eighty  years  of  age. 

REV.  GEORGE  MILLER,  Albright's  immediate  successor 
and  the  most  successful  organizer  of  all  his  coworkers,  was 
born  at  Pottstown,  Pa.,  February  16,  1774,  and  was  the  son  of 
Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Miller.  When  still  a  child,  his  father  re- 
moved to  Alsace  Township,  Berks  County,  Pa.,  where  he  died  in 
1784,  leaving  the  rearing  of  the  children,  to  the  wife,  who  was 
a  good,  industrious  mother,  and  sought  to  bring  up  her  family 
according  to  Christian  principles. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  George  Miller  was  instructed  and  con- 
firmed in  the  Lutheran  doctrine  at  Reading,  and  became  a  mem- 
ber of  that  Church.  At  this  time,  he  says,  he  felt  the  insufficiency 
of  all  this  to  give  him  peace  of  mind  and  the  consciousness  of 
salvation.  He  sought  the  advice  of  ministers,  but  alas,  like  him- 
self, they  were  in  the  dark  and  bade  him  calm  his  fears. 

After  learning  the  trade  of  millwright,  he,  in  1798  purchased  a 
tract  of  land,  with  a  mill  site,  in  Brunswick  Township,  Schuyl- 
kill County,  where  he  erected  a  grist  mill  and  soon  did  a  pros- 
perous business.  His  spiritual  troubles  in  the  meanwhile  became 
more  and  more  acute,  so  that  his  distress  was  intolerable.  While 
in  this  condition,  he  was  visited  by  Jacob  Albright  and  also  heard 
him  preach  from  the  words,  ''Behold,  I  set  before  you  the  way  of 
life,  and  the  zmy  of  death/'  (Jer.  21:8.)  This  sermon,  with 
some  personal  counsel  by  the  evangelist,  gave  him  his  proper 
spiritual  setting  and  led  him  to  pray  as  never  before  for  sal- 
vation. 

In  1800  he  was  married  to  Magdalena,  daughter  of  Col. 
Michael  Brobst,  of  whom  an  account  is  given  elsewhere.  He 


126 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


was  often  visited  by  Albright,  but  not  until  the  early  part  of  the 
year  1802  did  he  come  into  the  clear  light  of  salvation.  It  was 
when  he  was  in  deepest  spiritual  distress  that  God  sent  His  servant 
Albright  to  his  home  for  a  night's  lodging.  In  family  prayer  the 
evangelist  plead  so  earnestly  for  the  distresed  man  that  he  broke 
out  in  weeping.  The  following  day  Miller  accompanied  Albright 
to  his  appointment  at  the  home  of  Leonard  Zimmerman,  and  on 
the  way  thither  was  clearly  instructed  how  to  find  acceptance 
with  God.  Albright's  sermons  were  singularly  adapted  to  Mil- 
ler's condition,  with  the  result  that  soon  thereafter  he  was  won- 
derfully saved. 

From  this  time  on  he  was  a  coworker  with  Albright.  A 
preaching  place  was  established  in  his  home,  as  well  as  in  that 
of  his  brother  Solomon.  In  1803  a  class  was  formed  here  of 
which  George  Miller  was  made  the  leader.  The  community  be- 
ing hostile  to  the  work  of  the  evangelists,  Miller  had  to  endure 
incredible  persecution.  Those  indebted  to  him  refused  to  pay 
him,  his  business  was  boycotted,  his  mill  damaged,  meetings  at 
his  house  were  broken  up,  and  yet  in  all  this  distress  he  could  get 
no  legal  redress  because  of  the  hostility  of  the  justice  of  the 
peace.  He  now  sold  his  property  and  removed  to  a  small  farm 
he  purchased  on  Pine  Creek,  in  Albany  Township,  Berks  County, 
near  his  father-in-law,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  also 
operated  a  sawmill. 

In  the  spring  of  1805  Miller  entered  the  active  ministry  under 
the  direction  of  Albright.  His  successful  labors  are  narrated  in 
other  connections,  and  need  not  be  repeated  here.  About  Christ- 
mas time,  in  1808,  while  he  and  John  Dreisbach  were  holding  a 
meeting  in  Juniata  County,  his  activities  as  an  itinerant  were  cut 
short  by  a  sudden  attack  of  illness  that  permanently  disabled  him. 
He  rode  home,  never  again  to  take  another  field  of  labor.  This 
was  indeed  a  hard  blow  for  the  infant  church.  Albright  had 
died  this  year,  and  now  he  to  whom  the  Society  looked  for  leader- 
ship, was  disabled.  But  although  driven  by  disease  from  the 
field,  his  indomitable  spirit  remained  to  cheer  and  his  wise  coun- 
sels to  guide  the  little  band  in  the  work  and  served  repeatedly 
as  chairman  of  the  annual  conference.  At  the  conference  ses- 
sion held  in  his  house  in  April,  1809,  he  submitted  for  approval 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SUPPLEMENT. 


127 


the  manuscript  of  the  Discipline  which  he  had  compiled.  This 
work  he  published  at  his  own  expense  this  same  year.  In  1814 
he  published  a  biography  of  Albright  and  an  excellent  doctrinal 
book  entitled  ''Thdtiges  Christenthum."  (Practical  Christian- 
ity.) 

In  the  spring  of  181 2,  Miller  sold  his  property  in  Berks  County 
and  purchased  a  small  farm  about  two  miles  below  New  Berlin. 
His  brother  Solomon  followed  him  in  a  few  years,  locating  in 
the  town  named,  where  he  carried  on  his  trade  as  a  hatter  and 
also  superintended  the  newly-founded  Evangelical  Book  Estab- 
lishment. His  physical  condition  gradually  grew  worse  and  termi- 
nated in  death  on  April  5,  181 6,  at  the  early  age  of  42  years,  one 
month  and  19  days.  His  dying  words  were,  ''Ich  wets  das  Ich 
selig  wer^de."  (I  know  I  shall  be  saved.)  Rev.  Henry  Niebel 
conducted  the  obsequies,  preaching  from  Rev.  3 :  10.  He  was 
survived  by  his  wife  and  at  least  five  children,  as  follows : 
Joseph,  Samuel,  John,  Susan,  married  in  1824  to  Isaac  Peters, 
and  another  whoes  name  is  not  known  married  to  a  Hackenberg. 
Samuel,  who  located  at  Lebanon,  was  quite  a  scholar.  He  pub- 
lished, in  1836,  a  very  excellent  book  entitled  "Kern-Wesen"  (The 
Essentials).  This  was  endorsed  by  the  Eastern  Conference  and 
publishe.d  by  the  Church.  Later  he  left  the  Evangelicals  and  be- 
came a  Lutheran  minister.  Joseph  also  resided  in  Lebanon 
County,  and  became  a  Reformed  minister.  Mrs.  Peters  died  at 
New  Berlin,  leaving  at  least  one  son,  George  N.  H.  Peters,  after- 
wards a  Lutheran  minister.  The  Peters  and  Hackenberg  fami- 
lies removed  to  Springfield,  Ohio,  taking  with  them  the  widowed 
sisters  (widows  of  George  and  Solomon  Miller),  where  they 
soon  after  were  laid  to  rest.  They  sleep  close  together,  as  do 
their  husbands  at  New  Berlin. 

REV.  JOHN  DREISBACH  undoubtedly  fills  a  larger  sphere 
in  the  history  of  the  Evangelical  Church  than  any  of  the  co- 
workers of  Albright.  This  is  not  altogether  owing  to  his  su- 
perior ability,  but  rather  to  the  fact  that  his  life  was  prolonged 
far  beyond  the  lives  of  his  immediate  associates.  He  was  the 
oldest  son  of  Martin  Dreisbach,  Jr.,  of  Buffalo  Valley,  Union 
County,  Pa.  Concerning  the  excellent  family  from  which  he 
sprang  the  reader  will  find  a  fuller  notice  elsewhere.    He  was 


128 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


born  June  5,  1789,  and  as  a  youth  evinced  qualities  far  beyond 
one  of  his  age.  As  elsewhere  noted,  his  parental  home  was  head- 
quarters for  the  early  Reformed  evangelists  and  Bishop  Chris- 
tian Newcomer,  who  paved  the  way  in  that  region  for  the  subse- 
quent success  of  the  Evangelical  evangelists.  His  young  life 
touching  such  active  spiritual  forces,  we  need  not  wonder  that 
he  early  inclined  to  an  active  Christian  career.  When  the  Dreis- 
bach  class  was  formed,  in  1806,  of  which  his  father  was  the 
leader,  young  John  also  became  a  member. 

When  in  the  autumn  of  this  year  the  intrepid  and  eloquent 
John  Walter  took  charge  of  this  field  of  labor,  he  gave  young 
Dreisbach  opportunity  to  develop  his  gifts  for  the  ministry.  In 
the  spring  of  1807  (Day  of  Pentecost),  at  a  general  meeting  held 
in  Penns  Valley,  Centre  County,  Albright  gave  him  license  as  a 
preacher  on  probation.  He  now  applied  himself  vigorously  to 
his  studies  and  preached  with  frequency  and  great  acceptability. 
In  November  of  this  year  he  set  out  with  Christopher  Spangler 
and  others  to  attend  the  first  annual  conference  of  the  Church 
at  the  house  of  Samuel  Becker,  on  the  Muehlbach,  in  Lebanon 
County.  At  this  conference  he  entered  the  itinerant  ranks,  and 
was  assigned,  with  George  Miller,  as  senior  colleague  to  the  old 
circuit. 

When  Albright,  on  Easter  day,  1808,  stationed  the  preachers 
for  the  last  time,  he  assigned  John  Walter  to  the  new  circuit 
with  Dreisbach  as  junior  assistant.  On  this  charge,  which  em- 
braced a  territory  covering  what  now  constitutes  twelve  counties, 
these  men  had  about  fifty  preaching  places.  Later  he  worked 
again  in  connection  with  George  Miller.  On  Christmas  of  this 
year  his  colleague,  Miller,  was  seized  with  an  illness  which 
necessitated  his  immediate  withdrawal  from  the  active  work. 
The  burdens  of  this  great  field  of  labor  now  fell  entirely  on  the 
shoulders  of  Dreisbach,  who  was  still  in  his  teens.  His  labors, 
hitherto  arduous,  were  now  doubled,  and  to  the  hardships  that 
ensued  must  be  laid  the  undermining  of  his  constitution,  necessi- 
tating his  retirement  from  the  active  ministry  at  a  time  when  the 
Church  most  needed  him.  Fortunately  for  him  and  the  charge, 
God  had  in  reserve  two  choice  young  men,  who  now  came  to  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SUPPLEMENT. 


129 


assistance.  They  were  Mathias  Betz  and  Henry  Niebel,  both 
of  whom  entered  the  active  ranks  at  the  next  conference. 

At  the  second  conference,  held  at  the  home  of  George  Miller 
in  1809,  new  burdens  were  laid  upon  his  youthful  shoulders.  He 
was  now  only  twenty  years  of  age,  yet  was  made  secretary  of 
the  conference  and  directed  to  prepare  a  Catechism  for  the  use 
of  the  Church.  It  fell  to  his  lot  to  take  charge  of  the  old  circuit, 
which  embraced  all  the  eastern  part  of  the  state.  His  colleagues 
were  Henry  Niebel  and  John  Erb,  both  his  seniors  in  years.  In 
the  fall  of  this  year  he  was  ordained  elder  at  the  house  of  Henry 
Eby,  near  Lebanon,  which  indicates  his  rapid  advancement. 

From  1809  for  five  consecutive  sessions  of  the  conference 
George  Miller  was  chairman  and  Dreisbach  secretary.  At  the 
conference  of  1814,  in  his  father's  house,  he  was  chosen  chair- 
man, thus  virtually  at  the  age  of  twenty-five,  he  was  the  leader 
of  the  Church.  His  presidency  continued  for  some  years,  includ- 
ing the  first  General  Conference  in  1816,  which  was  also  held  at 
his  parental  home.  As  already  said,  his  health  was  impaired  by 
his. strenuous  service,  and  after  much  suffering  from  a  nervous 
disorder,  he  was  obliged  to  retire  from  the  active  ranks  at  the 
session  of  1821. 

Although  Dreisbach  had  retired  to  private  life,  he  nevertheless 
took  a  keen  interest  in  public  affairs.  Great  issues  were  at  stake 
and  men.  of  probity  were  sought  for  by  the  people.  Under  pres- 
sure of  circumstances  he  permitted  the  use  of  his  name  as  a 
legislative  candidate  on  the  "J^cksonian"  platform,  in  1827,  and 
was  elected  by  a  large  majority.  At  the  end  of  his  first  term 
he  was  again  elected,  but  after  his  second  term  of  service  he  re- 
tired from  the  political  arena,  sold  his  farm  which  was  part  of 
the  old  Dreisbach  estate,  and  in  1831  removed  to  Pickaway 
County,  Ohio.  In  course  of  time  he  served  a  number  of  charges 
in  the  Ohio  Conference,  and  in  1854  he  was  elected  editor  of 
The  Evangelical  Messenger,  the  Elnglish  organ  of  the  Church. 
He  edited  the  paper  with  ability  until  1855,  when  he  resigned  be- 
cause of  his  infirmities.  He  died  August  20,  1871,  aged  82  years. 
He  was  twice  married,  first  in  181 1  to  Catharine,  daughter  of 
Abraham  Eyer.  She  died  in  181 5,  and  a  few  years  later  he 
married  her  sister,  Fanny,  who  bore  him  eleven  children  and 
9 


130 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


survived  him  till  1876,  when  she  died  at  the  age  of  85  years.  Two 
of  his  sons,  Abraham  and  Jacob,  became  Evangelical  preachers. 

John  Dreisbach  possessed  literary  ability  of  a  high  order,  as 
shown  in  both  his  prose  and  poetical  productions.  In  1809  he 
produced  the  first  Catechism  by  order  of  the  Conference.  With 
-  Henry  Niebel  he  compiled,  by  order  of  the  Church,  ''Das  Saiteft- 
spiel,"  a  large  and  excellent  hymn  book,  which  was  printed  in 
1 81 7.  In  1 82 1  he  published  a  small  song  book  entitled  ''Geistliche 
Lieder^'  (Spiritual  Songs).  With  Niebel  he  revised  and  en- 
larged the  Discipline  in  181 7. 

Dreisbach  was  a  man  of  progress  and  clearly  foresaw  the 
larger  field  of  activity  the  Church  would  be  providentially  called 
to  fill.  He  was  the  first  to  advocate  the  establishment  of  higher 
institutions  of  learning,  to  meet  the  new  conditions  of  the  age. 
Although  in  feeble  health  for  many  years,  he  kept  in  touch  with 
all  the  activities  of  the  Church,  as  evinced  by  his  writings  and  re- 
mained a  tower  of  strength  to  the  end  of  his  life. 

REV.  JACOB  FRY  was  the  son  of  Jacob  Fry,  Sr.,  who  in 
1796  removed  with  a  large  family  from  Berks  to  Snyder 
County,  Pa.,  near  the  present  town  of  Middleburg.  The  father 
was  a  Reformed  Pietist,  and  as  early  as  1800  opened  his  house 
as  a  preaching  place  for  the  evangelists  Pfrimmer,  Newcomer 
and  others.  He  died  soon  after  1800,  and  his  son,  Abraham  Fry 
(born  1768,  died  1850),  most  worthily  took  his  father's  place  as 
a  supporter  of  the  evangelists.  When  Albright  made  his  ap- 
pearance in  this  region  as  an  evangelist,  Abraham  Fry  found  in 
him  a  man  after  his  own  heart,  and  thereafter  his  house  was  an 
Evangelical  preaching  place,  and  the  home  became  the  center 
of  a  great  spiritual  work.  There  Albright  first  met  the  younger 
brother,  Jacob  Fry,  a  gifted  man,  who,  upon  the  establishment 
of  the  Evangelical  work,  evinced  a  desire  to  enter  the  ministry. 

Jacob  Fry's  first  efforts  in  the  direction  of  the  ministry  were 
under  the  direction  of  Rev.  George  Miller,  during  his  great  re- 
vival work  on  the  new  circuit,  in  1806.  His  further  association 
with  the  intrepid  Walter,  who  succeeded  Miller,  led  him  to  de- 
cide to  enter  the  active  work.  We  accordingly  find  him  at  the 
first  annual  conference,  in  1807,  w^here  he  was  accepted  as  a  pro- 
bationer and  assigned  to  the  new  circuit  with  Walter  in  charge. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SUPPLEMENT. 


Later  in  the  year  these  two  brethren  exchanged  charges  with  the 
preachers  of  the  old  circuit  which  brought  Fry  to  the  work  west 
of  the  Susquehanna  River  where  some  of  the  appointments  were 
located.  In  this  region  he  was  so  successful  that  in  the  Easter 
Assembly  (1808),  he  was  assigned  by  Albright  to  form  a  new 
charge  of  the  territory  which  stretched  westward  through  York, 
Adams,  Cumberland  and  Franklin  Counties,  Pa.,  and  Western 
Maryland,  where  Albright  and  others  had  sown  the  seed,  which 
was  ripe  for  the  harvest.  In  the  midst  of  his  successful  labors 
he  became  involved  in  some  troubles  which  necessitated  his  with- 
drawal from  the  field,  and  he  was  excluded  from  the  ministry, 
but  was  reinstated  some  years  after. 

Fry  was  one  of  the  Evangelical  pioneers  of  Ohio,  and  assisted 
the  missionaries  in  establishing  the  work  there.  At  the  confer- 
ence held  at  New  Berlin,  in  181 9,  he  was  ordained  deacon  and 
appointed  to  assist  Rev.  Jacob  Kleinfelter  on  Canton  Circuit,  in 
Ohio.  He  located  at  the  close  of  the  year  on  account  of  family 
cares.  At  the  conference  of  1823  he  was  instructed  "to  seek  and 
organize  a  new  circuit."  What  this  meant  in  the  wilds  of  Ohio 
the  reader  may  well  imagine.  We  were  told  by  fathers  Saylor 
and  Hoffman  that  when  they  were  laboring  in  Ohio,  in  1826, 
Jacob  Fry  was  a  great  help  to  them  and  did  much  work  as  a 
pioneer.  He  took  charge  of  appointments  established  by  Saylor 
in  that  year.  His  name  appears  on  the  rolls  when  the  Western 
Conference  was  organized  in  1827  and  he  received  a  small  share 
of  the  salary.  His  name  does  not  again  appear  on  the  records 
after  this  and  we  are  unable  to  trace  him  to  his  end,  but  that  he 
remained  in  touch  with  the  Church  of  his  youth  is  evidenced  by 
his  sending  obituary  notices  to  the  Christliche  Botschafter. 

REV.  ABRAHAM  LEESER,  an  early  coworker  with  Al- 
bright, was  the  son  of  Benedict  Leeser,  born  at  the  old 
Leeser  homestead,  two  miles  east  of  Barto,  Berks  County,  Pa., 
in  1770.  He  was  a  brother  of  Samuel  Leeser,  at  whose  house 
Albright  was  ordained  in  1803.  He  had  a  family  when  Albright 
first  visited  his  community,  although  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Hof?  Reformed  church,  near  by,  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  open 
his  home  as  a  preaching  place  for  the  evangelists.  He  was  a  very 
gifted,  consecrated  man.    Early  in  1803  Albright  made  him  an 


132 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


assistant  evangelist.  He  was  the  second  to  take  the  field  under 
Albright's  directions.  In  1803  he  with  his  young  coworker,  John 
Walter,  ordained  his  spiritual  father  as  a  minister  in  the  house 
of  his  brother,  Samuel  Leeser.  He  was  never  in  robust  health 
and  could  not  long  endure  the  hardships  of  an  itinerant  life. 
Broken  in  health,  he  retired  from  the  field  in  the  spring  of  1805, 
and  soon  thereafter  passed  to  his  eternal  reward,  at  the  early  age 
of  34  years.  He  was  survived  by  his  wife  and  three  children. 
He  died,  like  Albright,  Miller  and  Walter,  of  consumption, 
caused  by  his  hardships  and  exposure. 

REV.  ALEXANDER  JAMISON  was  a  resident  at  the  Cole- 
brookdale  Iron  Works  in  Berks  County,  near  the  present 
town  of  Boyertown,  Pa.  His  house  was  one  of  the  first  preach- 
ing places.  He  seems  to  have  been  a  talented  man,  but  lacked 
the  spirit  of  self-denial  and  consecration  so  necessary  in  those 
trying  days.  He  entered  the  evangelistic  work  in  the  spring  of 
1804.  It  appears  he  was  dissatisfied  with  the  system  of  equal 
division  of  salary  then  in  vogue.  In  1805  he  was  given  an  extra 
allowance  of  salary,  beside  $60,  for  the  purchase  of  a  horse.  In 
1806  he  was  again  granted  a  large  amount  above  his  dues,  in 
order  to  satisfy  him.  This  caused  the  brethren  to  pass  a  reso- 
lution not  to  accept  any  one  hereafter  as  a  minister,  unless  he 
was  willing  to  abide  by  the  rules  of  salary  distribution.  The 
records  tell  us  that  thereupon  Jamison  "returned  to  his  former 
avocation."  Therefore  he  was  without  a  charge  and  seems  to 
have  withdrawn  from  all  active  participation  in  the  work. 

REVS.  MATHIAS  and  JOHN  BETZ.— We  know  nothing 
of  these  brothers  until  we  meet  them  as  members  of  the 
class  organized  by  Rev.  George  Miller  at  Millheim,  Centre 
County,  in  1806.  From  references  we  are  led  to  believe  that 
Mathias,  the  younger,  exercised  the  gifts  of  the  ministry  soon 
after  this  event.  After  Christmas  of  this  year  we  find  him  com- 
ing to  the  assistance  of  the  youthful  John  Dreisbach,  who  was 
left  alone  on  the  old  circuit  by  the  sudden  illness  of  Rev.  George 
Miller,  his  senior  colleague.  He  joined  the  active  ranks  at  the 
second  conference  (1809),  and  made  a  record  as  one  of  the  most 
dfevoted  and  spiritual  of  all  the  evangelists.    On  the  evening  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SUPPLEMENT. 


133 


April  5,  1810,  as  he  preached  his  valedictory  at  Manheim,  Lan- 
caster County,  he  sent  the  keen  shaft  of  conviction  for  sin  into 
the  heart  of  a  young  man  destined  to  be,  next  to  Albright,  the 
most  commanding  figure  in  the  Evangelical  Association.  This 
v^as  none  other  than  John  Seybert,  afterguards  bishop.  After 
four  years  of  brilliant  service  Betz,  died  of  pneumonia,  at  Boals- 
burg,  Centre  County,  in  1813,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-one  years. 

JOHN  BETZ  v^as  two  years  older  than  Mathias,  and  was  one 
of  the  first  local  preachers  of  whom  there  is  no  official  record. 
He  was  a  pioneer  Evangelical  in  Ohio,  and  founder  of  the  town 
of  Bettsville,  in  Seneca  County,  where  he  died  in  1848,  aged 
sixty-eight  years. 

REV.  JOHN  ERB.— This  useful  man  was  born  near  Millers- 
ville,  Pa.  We  first  hear  of  him  in  connection  with  the 
great  revival  along  the  Conestoga,  in  1807,  when  he  became  a 
member  of  the  Evangelical  class.  From  his  capabilities  and  early 
zeal  we  conclude  that  he  began  to  exercise  the  functions  of  the 
mi'nistry  soon  after  his  connection  with  the  Evangelicals.  Soon 
after  Christmas,  1808,  we  find  him  as  an  assistant  to  John  Dreis- 
bach  on  the  extensive  new  circuit,  after  the  breakdown  of 
George  Miller.  At  the  second  conference,  in  1809,  he  entered 
the  itinerant  ranks  and  labored  with  success  from  the  beginning. 

In  181 3  he  located  because  of  ill  health,  and  the  year  following 
suffered  the  loss  of  his  wife,  Mary  Becker,  daughter  of  George 
Becker,  of  the  Muehlbach,  in  Lebanon  County.  In  1820  he  again 
took  the  field  and  at  this  conference  was  elected  presiding  elder, 
being  the  third  incumbent  of  that  office.  He  was  chairman  of 
the  conferences  of  1821,  1822  and  1823.  At  the  latter  session 
he  again  located  and  removed  to  Ohio,  after  which  we  lose  sight 
of  him  until  185 1,  when  he  again  entered  the  active  ranks.  In 
1857  disease  compelled  his  retirement  and  he  died  after  great  suf- 
fering from  cancer,  February  12,  1858,  in  the  seventy-second 
year  of  his  age. 

REV.  HENRY  NIEBEL,  son  of  Nicholas  Niebel,  was  born 
in  Colebrookdale,  Berks  County,  Pa.,  March  16,  1784. 
When  still  a  youth  his  father  removed  to  Union  County.  His 
parents  were  members  of  the  Reformed  Church,  and  the  studies 


134 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


of  young  Henry  were  directed  with  a  view  to  the  ministry  of 
that  Church.  In  early  Hfe  he  evinced  an  independence  of  mind 
that  characterized  him  during  Uf  e.  When  he  was  grown  to  man- 
hood the  crisis  of  his  Hfe  was  reached.  He  could  not  stand  for 
the  spiritual  deadness  that  then  pervaded  such  a  large  portion  of 
his  Church,  The  Reformed  and  United  Brethren  evangelists 
now  made  their  appearance  in  his  neighborhood.  These,  too,  he 
discounted.  In  the  winter  of  1805- 1806  he  was  engaged  in  teach- 
ing school,  about  five  miles  below  Lewisburg,  at  Winfield,  He 
had  his  home  with  that  eminent  Evangelical  father,  Abraham 
Eyer,  who  made  it  his  business  to  explode  the  young  man's  ideas 
of  his  own  righteousness,  and  led  him  to  see  the  necessity  of  a 
personal  experience  of  Christ.  The  result  was  that  Niebers 
views  were  brought  in  harmony  with  Evangelical  truth,  and 
withal,  he  realized  a  deep  and  rich  spiritual  experience  that 
changed  his  life  plans  completely. 

In  the  spring  of  1806,  that  noble  man  of  God,  George  Miller, 
was  sent  to  the  new  circuit.  One  of  the  chief  preaching  places 
was  at  the  home  of  Father  Eyer,  and  Niebel  was  thus  brought 
into  contact  with  the  evangelist.  In  the  autumn  of  this  year 
Miller  formed  the  Eyer  class  and  had  the  pleasure  of  adding  the 
name  of  Henry  Niebel. 

From  a  reference  by  Miller  in  his  autobiography  concerning 
Niebel,  it  is  quite  evident  that  he  began  to  exercise  the  gifts 
of  ministry  about  this  time.  He  was  now  twenty-four  years  of 
age,  well  equipped  for  service,  and  the  work  was  opening  all 
about  him.  When  Miller,  the  senior  minister  on  the  new  circuit 
in  1808,  broke  down  at  Christmas  time,  Niebel  took  the  field  as 
one  of  the  assistants  to  his  young  friend  and  future  brother-in- 
law,  John  Dreisbach.  At  the  second  session  of  the  conference,  in 
the  spring  of  1809,  he  entered  the  active  ranks  and  from  the  first 
took  a  prominent  place.  Already  in  1814  he  was  chosen  secretary 
of  the  annual  conference,  was  elected  president  of  the  body  in  181 5, 
and  at  the  same  session  was  made  the  second  presiding  elder. 
At  the  first  General  Conference,  in  1816,  he  served  as  secretary, 
with  his  friend,  John  Dreisbach,  as  president,  and  both  served 
in  the  same  capacity  at  the  second  session  of  that  body  in  1820. 
On  account  of  failing  health  he  located  in  1819;  became  effective 


REV.  HENRY  NiEBElr. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SUPPLEMENT. 


135 


again  in  1829;  was  elected  presiding  elder  in  183 1,  and  was  sent 
by  the  conference  to  Ohio  in  1833,  as  the  presiding  elder  of  the 
western  work.  He  served  as  presiding  elder  six  years  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  ten  years  in  Ohio.  His  services  were  very  valuable 
to  the  Church,  not  only  as  a  minister,  but  also  as  a  literary  man. 
He  assisted  Dreisbach  in  compiling  the  large  hymn  book,  ''Das 
Saitenspiei;'  and  the  revised  Discipline  in  181 7.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  Eyer,  daughter  of  Abraham  Eyer,  who  died  in 
1857,  in  her  seventieth  year,  and  he  finished  his  long,  useful  life 
on  May  2,  1877,  at  the  age  of  93  years. 

Rev.  Abraham  Niebel,  one  of  the  sons  of  Henry,  was  born  in 
1817,  and  died  in  Illinois  in  1901.  He  was  for  half  a  century  a 
prominent  Evangelical  minister,  a  member  of  the  Pittsburgh 
(Conference,  except  the  years  1865-70  when  he  labored  in  the 
Illinois  Conference.  One  of  his  sons,  B.  H.  Niebel,  also  became 
an  Evangelical  minister  and  was  for  many  years  a  presiding  elder 
in  Iowa,  in  the  I>es  Moines  Conference  of  the  United  Evangelical 
Church,  and  in  1906  was  elected  corresponding  secretary  of  the 
Missionary  Society  and  the  Church  Extension  Society  of  this 
Church. 

THE  LOCAL  MINISTRY  OF  ALBRIGHT'S  TIME. 

SOLOMON  MILLER. — This  pious  and  useful  man  was  a  son 
of  Jacob  and  Elisabeth  Miller  and  a  brother  of  Rev. 
George  Miller,  born  at  Pottstown,  Pa.,  in  1777.  In  a  previous 
chapter  the  reader  will  see  how  he  was  brought  to  the  light  of 
saving  truth  through  the  ministry  of  Albright.  He  was  one  of 
the  first  class-leaders,  and  in  1806  was  made  a  local  preacher. 
Although  he  never  took  a  separate  field  of  labor,  he  did  great 
service  for  the  infant  Church  in  various  capacities  and  deserves 
a  place  in  her  annals  as  one  of  the  founders.  His  life  runs  singu- 
larly parallel  with  that  of  his  brother  George.  Both  married 
daughters  of  Col.  Michael  Brobst  and  established  homes  near 
each  other  in  Penn  Township,  Schuylkill  County,  and  later  near 
the  home  of  their  father-in-law,  where  Solomon  lived  in  a  house 
on  his  brother's  place  and  carried  on  the  business  of  a  hatter. 
It  was  in  his  house  that  the  second  annual  conference  was  held 
in  1809.    Ill  1812  his  brother  George  removed  to  New  Berlin, 


136 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


and  Solomon  followed  in  a  few  years  and  took  charge  of  the 
newly-established  printing  house  of  the  Church,  at  the  same  time 
continuing  his  trade  as  a  hatter  to  make  a  living.  He  died  in 
1820  and  was  buried  near  his  brother  who  had  preceded  him  four 
years.  He  was  married,  about  1800,  to  Maria  Brobst,  who  sur- 
vived him,  without  children;  removed  from  New  Berlin  to 
Springfield,  Ohio,  with  her  widowed  sister,  where  she  died. 

CHRISTOPHER  SPANGLER  was  one  of  the  most  conse- 
crated men  the  Church  has  ever  had.  He  was  the  son  of 
George  Spangler,  a  German  immigrant,  and  was  born  in  North- 
ampton County,  Pa.,  in  the  year  1767.  Soon  after  the  Revolu- 
tion his  father  removed  with  his  family  to  the  vicinity  of  New 
Berlin,  where  some  of  the  sons  lived  and  died,  and  soon  after 

1800  Christopher  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Rebersburg,  Centre 
County.  Early  in  1805  he  met  Jacob  Albright  at  the  home  of 
Paul  Bachman,  in  Millheim,  which  was  one  of  Albright's 
preaching  places.  It  is  probable  that  there  Spangler  heard  Al- 
bright preach,  since  he  had  gone  there  on  Bachman's  invitation 
to  meet  him.  The  outcome  of  the  meeting  was  that  Spangler 
invited  the  evangelist  to  preach  in  his  new  stone  mansion  which 
he  was  then  building.  From  this  time  on  the  home  was  a  preach- 
ing place  and  Spangler  one  of  Albright's  strong  supporters. 

Through  Spangler  a  class  was  organized  here  in  1806,  of  which 
he  was  made  the  leader.  In  the  fall  of  1807  he  accompanied  the 
youthful  John  Dreisbach  to  the  first  annual  conference,  which 
was  held  at  the  house  of  Samuel  Becker,  in  Lebanon  County,  and 
there  he  was  licensed  as  a  local  preacher,  in  which  capacity  he 
served  the  Church  most  acceptably  for  a  period  of  half  a  century. 
Almost  up  to  the  time  of  his  home-going  he  preached  the  Word 
with  zeal  and  fervency.  He  died  in  great  peace,  in  1855,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  88  years. 

JOHN  THOMAS,  Jr.,  was  the  son  of  John  Thomas,  Sr.,  and 
his  wife  was  Anna  Mary  Rice.  He  was  born  near  Shafifers- 
town,  Pa.,  in  1785.  When  a  child  his  parents  moved  to  Decatur 
Township,  Mifflin  County,  where  they  were  visited  as  early  as 

1801  by  Jacob  Albright,  who  from  that  date  made  the  Thomas 
home  a  kind  of  headquarters  of  his  work  in  that  region. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SUPPLEMENT.  137 

Thomas  was  an  active  participant  in  the  wonderful  meetings  held 
by  Albright  and  Walter  at  his  father's  home,  which  are  else- 
where described.  In  1807  he  was  granted  local  license,  his  cer- 
tificate being  signed  by  Albright  himself.  Some  time  prior  to 
1825,  in  company  with  the  greater  part  of  the  old  Thomas  class, 
he  emigrated  to  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  where  he  did  much  to 
build  up  the  cause  of  Christ.  He  died  as  the  result  of  an  acci- 
dent, September  26,  1836,  aged  54  years. 

JACOB  PHILIPS  was  born  in  Northampton  County,  Pa.  He 
was  the  son  of  George  and  brother  of  Conrad  Philips,  all 
of  whom  figure  prominently  in  the  beginning  of  Albright's  work. 
All  three  were  present  at  the  ordination  of  Albright  in  1803. 
When  the  Philips  class  was  organized  in  1800,  Jacob  Philips  was 
chosen  its  leader  and  in  1806  he  was  licensed  as  a  local  preacher 
at  the  council  held  at  George  Becker's.  His  death  occurred  in 
1809. 

CHARLES  BISSE  lived  in  Rock  Hill  Township,  Bucks 
County,  Pa.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  open  his  home  to 
Albright  for  a  preaching  place  prior  to  1800.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Walter  class  and  was  present  at  Albright's  ordination  in 
1803.  He  was  licensed  as  a  local  preacher  at  the  council  of  1806, 
and  executed  the  office  well  until  his  death,  October  20,  1847,  at 
the  age  of  75  years. 

MICHAEL  MAIZE  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  strong 
pillars  of  the  Church.  He  was  born  near  Shafferstown, 
Pa.  In  1794  he  was  married  to  Barbara,  daughter  of  Michael 
and  Catharine  Smith.  About  1796  Maize,  with  his  widowed 
mother  and  some  other  children,  removed  to  Union  County,  and 
located  on  a  farm  two  miles  below  New  Berlin.  His  wife's  peo- 
ple accompanied  them  and  were  among  the  first  residents  of 
Lewisburg.  Both  families  were  of  the  Reformed  Church  and 
were  a  spiritual  people.  Michael  Maize  opened  his  home  as  a 
place  of  preaching  for  the  early  evangelists  of  that  time.  As 
early  as  1804,  and  perhaps  earlier,  Albright  and  his  coworkers 
found  access  to  his  home,  and  from  that  time  Maize  cast  his  lot 
with  the  "Albright  People." 

In  the  obituary  of  Maize  it  is  stated  that  he  was  the  first  Evan- 


138 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


gelical  class  leader  in  the  bounds  of  the  conference.  Elsewhere 
it  will  be  seen  that  Rev.  George  Miller  organized  over  half  a 
dozen  classes  in  this  region  within  a  short  time,  of  which  the 
Maize  class  seems  to  have  been  the  first.  Maize  became  a  local 
preacher  very  early,  and  as  there  is  no  record  of  his  licensure  we 
are  inclined  to  believe  he  obtained  his  license  at  a  general  meet- 
ing in  the  days  of  Albright.  He  died  in.  1841,  aged  71  years,  and 
his  wife  followed  him  in  1848,  aged  72  years.  Their  bodies  re- 
pose in  the  Evangelical  cemetery  at  New  Berlin^  Pa. 

FREDERICK  HERPSTER,  Jr.,  was  the  son  of  Frederick 
Herpster,  Sr.,  who  came  from  Tulpehocken,  Pa.,  to  Decatur 
Township,  Mifflin  County,  soon  after  the  Revolutionary  War,  in 
which  he  had  been  a  soldier.  Frederick  Herpster,  Jr.,  was  mar- 
ried to  Susan,  daughter  of  John  and  Anna  Mary  Thomas.  He 
also  had  two  brothers,  John  and  George,  who  married  Barbara 
and  Catharine,  respectively,  also  daughters  of  Father  Thomas. 
All  these  were  of  the  first  fruits  of  Albright  at  the  Thomas  ap- 
pointment, in  1 802- 1 803.  Frederick  Herpster  was  the  first  class 
leader,  and  was  also  one  of  the  early  local  preachers,  of  whose 
license  there  is  no  record.  He  was  a  very  prominent  man  and 
doubtless  received  his  license  at  a  general  meeting,  like  his 
brother-in-law,  John  Thomas,  Jr. 

EVANGELISTIC  CONTEMPORARIES  WHOSE 
LABORS  TOUCHED  THAT  OF  REV. 
JACOB  ALBRIGHT. 

BISHOP  FRANCIS  ASBURY  as  the  first  incumbent  of  the 
episcopal  office,  may  be  regarded  as  the  founder  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  America.  He  was  born  in  Eng- 
land in  1745,  and  died  in  Virginia  in  181 6.  At  the  early  age  of 
sixteen  years  he  was  made  a  local  preacher  by  Rev.  John  Wesley, 
founder  of  Methodism.  At  twenty-two  he  entered  the  itineracy, 
and  at  twenty-six  was  sent  by  Wesley  to  America  as  a  mission- 
ary. He  succeeded  in  planting  Methodism  in  many  colonies, 
despite  the  American  Revolution  with  its  many  hindrances.  Al- 
though unordained,  he  succeeded  in  forming  something  of  an 
organization  which  in  1784  numbered  over  eighty  ministers,  for 
the  most  part  unordained. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SUPPLEMENT. 


139 


In  1784  Wesley  sent  Dr.  Thomas  Coke  to  America,  with  in- 
structions to  organize  the  work  and  confer  ordination  on  Asbury. 
This  event  which  took  place  at  Baltimore,  Md.,  on  Christmas, 
1784,  marks  the  official  beginning  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  America.  Rev.  William  Otterbein,  one  of  the  foun- 
ders of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  assisted  in  the  ordination 
of  Asbury,  and  thereafter  a  warm  friendship  existed  between 
the  two  men. 

Although  Asbury  was  in  many  respects  a  great  man,  he  lacked 
vision  as  to  what  true  Methodism  stood  for.  This  led  him  to 
reject  overtures  from  organizations  laboring  for  the  conversion 
of  the  Germans  for  organic  union.  He  considered  such  a  course 
^^impractical,"  as  he  informed  Rev.  John  Dreisbach,  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Association,  in  1810. 

A  study  of  the  correspondence  between  the  Methodist  and  the 
United  Brethren  conferences,  discloses  the  fact  that  he  failed 
also  in  his  opportunity  respecting  the  latter  movement,  and  so 
'  both  the  United  Brethren  and  the  Evangelical  Association  pro- 
ceeded, each  separately,  to  fulfill  their  respective  missions,  up  to 
the  present  period.  After  Asbury's  death  the  Methodist  Church 
reversed  this  exclusive  policy  and  now  has  flourishing  sections 
separately  organized  among  the  Germans,  Swedes,  Italians  and 
others. 

OTTERBEIN  and  BOEHM,  founders  of  the  United  Breth- 
ren Church.  Rev.  William  Otterbein  was  born  at  Dillen- 
burg,  Germany,  June  4,  1726,  and  died  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  Nov. 
17,  1 81 3,  aged  87  years.  His  father  was  a  prominent  and  pious 
Reformed  minister  who  had  five  ministerial  sons,  all  of  whom 
were  earnest,  spiritual  men,  Otterbein  was  educated  at  the 
University  of  Herborn,  and  in  1752  was  sent  to  America  as  a 
Reformed  missionary,  being  one  of  the  five  who  were  sent  at 
this  time,  headed  by  Rev.  Michael  Schlatter,  the  founder  of  the 
Reformed  Synod  in  America. 

Upon  his  arrival,  Otterbein  took  charge  of  the  Reformed 
church  in  Lancaster,  Pa.  He  introduced  prayer-meetings  in  his 
congregation,  which  caused  much  opposition  to  him.  He  also 
introduced  the  big  meetings,  which  were  spiritual  gatherings  for 
prayer,  preaching  and  testimony,  and  attended  by  "converted 


I40 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


people"  generally.  His  evangelistic  operations  extended  into  the 
Tulpehocken  region  and  many  souls  were  converted.  About  1764 
he  removed  to  Frederick,  Md.,  where  his  labors  in  the  Reformed 
Church  were  also  attended  with  spiritual  awakenings.  In  1765 
he  took  charge  of  the  Reformed  church  at  York,  Pa.,  and  great 
spiritual  quickenings  took  place  through  him,  not  only  in  his  own 
church,  but  in  surrounding  communities. 

In  1774  he  removed  to  Baltimore  and  took  charge  of  a  large 
Reformed  congregation,  which  soon  felt  the  power  of  his  spiritual 
ministry  and  virtually  separated  itself  from  the  authority  of  the 
Church,  calling  itself  ''The  Evangelical  Reformed  Church."  Of 
this  society  Otterbein  remained  the  nominal  pastor  until  his 
death,  and  this  society  was  the  nucleus  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church.  Because  of  the  corporate  name  of  the  society,  and  the 
fact  that  Otterbein  remained  in  nominal  relation  to  the  Reformed 
Church,  notwithstanding  that  he  was  a  founder  of  a  new  de- 
nomination, and  a  bishop  of  the  same,  the  Reformed  Church  has 
ever  regarded  him  as  one  of  her  ministers,  as  her  historians  show. 

REV.  MARTIN  BOEHM  was  born  in  Lancaster  County, 
Pa.,  in  1725.  His  parents  were  Swiss  Mennonites  in  whose 
faith  Martin  was  reared.  After  becoming  a  minister  of  the 
gospel  he  was  truly  converted  and  raised  his  voice  against  the 
dead  formalism  of  his  Church.  Revivals  and  conversions  fol- 
lowed his  labors  in  many  places.  His  Church  then  raised  a  great 
opposition  to  his  evangelism,  and  specially  because  he  associated 
with  others  "of  a  strange  speech,"  meaning  people  of  other  reli- 
gious persuasions.  The  result  was  his  expulsion  from  the  Men- 
nonite  Church.  Boehm  nevertheless  continued  his  work  inde- 
pendently, and  the  "converted  people"  of  all  churches  stood  by 
him. 

Sometime  between  1766  and  1768  he  held  a  so-called  big 
meeting  at  the  house  of  Isaac  Long,  in  Landis  Valley,  about  six 
miles  northeast  of  Lancaster.  To  this  meeting  Rev.  William 
Otterbein  also  came.  After  listening  to  a  sermon  by  Boehm 
he  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  spirit  of  the  man.  Arising 
from  his  seat  he  went  to  Boehm  and  embraced  him,  exclaiming 
''Wir  sind  Brucder."    ("We  are  brethren.") 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SUPPLEMENT. 


141 


After  this  meeting  Otterbein  and  Boehm  labored  more  or  less 
for  some  years  in  cooperative  harmony.  Spiritual  people  of 
various  churches  clave  to  them.  Other  spiritual  ministers  of  the 
Reformed  and  Mennonite  churches  labored  in  connection  with 
them.  This  v^ork  continued  in  this  way  for  years,  but  found  no 
recognition  by  the  old  churches.  It  now  became  necessary  to 
authorize  some  who  were  called  thereto,  to  preach  the  gospel, 
thus  creating  an  unordained  itinerant  ministry.  In  1789  these 
evangelistic  elements  focalized  in  the  form  of  a  conference, 
Otterbein  and  Boehm  being  the  leading  spirits,  and  at  a  con- 
ference held  in  1800,  both  were  elected  bishops,  and  the  newly- 
founded  Church,  hitherto  called  "United  Brethren,"  was  named 
"The  United  Brethren  in  Christ,"  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
Moravian,  which  is  known  by  the  former  title.  Such  in  brief  is 
the  origin  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  which  grew  up  side  by 
side  with  the  "Albright  Brethren,"  or  Evangelical  Association. 

BISHOP  CHRISTIAN  NEWCOMER.— This  eminent  man 
of  God  was  born  in  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  in  1749,  and  was 
the  son  of  Wolfgang  Newcomer,  a  Swiss  Miennonite.  After  his 
marriage  he  removed  to  Washington  County,  Md.,  where  he 
came  under  the  influence  of  the  founders  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church,  William  Otterbein  and  others.  He  was  made  a  minister 
of  that  denomination  and  was  a  member  of  its  first  regular  con- 
ference in  1789.  In  1 81 3  he  was  elected  bishop  and  remained 
in  office  until  his  death  in  March,  1830,  in  the  82d  year  of  his  age. 

Bishop  Newcomer's  journal,  published  in  1834,  and  often 
quoted  in  this  work,  shows  him  to  have  been  a  man  of  heroic 
mould,  truly  apostolic  in  character.  We  have  never  found  a 
more  intrepid  and  tireless  herald  of  the  cross  in  history  than  he. 
His  diary  shows  that  he  crossed  the  Allegheny  Mountains  on 
horseback  nineteen  times  after  he  was  61  years  of  age.  When 
81  years  old  he  made  his  nineteenth  episcopal  tour  to  the  far 
West,  on  horseback,  traveling  one  day  fifty-two  miles,  and  yet 
this  old  hero,  just  before  his  death,  deplored  his  want  of  zeal  in 
his  ministry  in  these  words,  "Nothing  am  I  more  sorry  for  than 
that  I  have  not  served  my  Lord  and  Master  more  faithfully." 

Bishop  Newcomer  was  in  intimate  touch  with  Rev.  Jacob 
Albright  and  his  work  from  the  beginning.   He  was  present  and 


142 


A  WONDERFUL  STORY. 


assisted  at  the  dedication  of  the  Reformed  church  at  Shaffers- 
town,  October  8,  1797,  at  which  time  Albright  preached  to  an 
overflow  meeting  in  the  market  house,  which  event  marks  the  be- 
ginning of  his  ministry.  On  several  subsequent  occasions  New- 
comer and  Albright  participated  in  joint  meetings,  as  elsewhere 
recorded. 

Newcomer's  Journal  discloses  many  efforts  to  unite  the  Al- 
bright Brethren  and  the  United  Brethren  into  one  body.  His 
last  effort  was  in  181 6,  when  he  attended  the  first  Evangelical 
General  Conference,  and  plead  for  union.  The  outcome  was  the 
"Social  Conference"  between  delegates  of  the  two  denominations, 
at  the  house  of  Rev.  Henry  Kummler,  six  miles  east  of  Hagers- 
town,  Md.,  in  February,  181 7,  which  resulted  in  failure. 

REV.  ADAM  ETTINGER,  Sr.,  was  born  November  19,  1760, 
and  died  near  Dover,  York  County,  Pa.,  July  26,  1809.  He 
was  reared  in  this  vicinity,  and  as  a  youth  we  find  him  enrolled  as 
a  member  of  the  York  County  militia  and  rendering  active  serv- 
ice in  the  Revolution.^  He  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church  and  in  early  life  came  in  contact  with  the  Pietistic  group 
of  that  denomination  whose  evangelistic  activities  did  so  much  to 
keep  alive  the  fires  of  vital  godlines  among  the  Pennsylvania 
Germans,  and  pave  the  way  for  the  founding  of  the  United 
Brethren  and  Evangelical  Association  denominations.  His  wife, 
Anna  Maria,  was  a  daughter  of  George  Stouch,  and  sister  of 
Rev.  S.  Stouch,  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  She  died  in  1842, 
aged  76  years.  Ettinger  exercised  the  office  of  the  ministry  in 
connection  with  the  evangelists  prior  to  1800.  The  records  of 
the  Reformed  Synod  show  that  he  was  examined  for  and  granted 
license  to  preach  in  May,  1803.  This  was  renewed  in  1804,  and 
in  1805  he  was  ordained  a  minister.  For  some  time  he  had 
charge  of  the  Reformed  congregations  at  Abbottstown  and 
vicinity,  and  for  a  brief  period  also  at  Hanover.  He  actively  co- 
operated with  Otterbein  in  the  evangelistic  movement  that  re- 
sulted in  the  formation  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,^  but 
never,  to  our  knowledge,  attended  the  Separatist  Conferences, 

1  Pennsylvania  Archives  (Sixth  Series),  Vol.  XII,  p.  656. 

2  See  Gossler's  Reply  to  Gock,  p.  153. 


re:v.  a.  e:ttingkr.  b.  1787.  d.  1877. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SUPPLEMENT. 


143 


but  strictly  adhered  to  the  Church.^  The  year  following  his 
death  (1809),  Rev.  John  Walter  and  other  pioneers  of  the 
Evangelical  Association  began  their  labors  in  the  vicinity  of  his 
home,  and  his  wife  and  entire  family  united  with  the  Evangelicals. 
Three  of  the  sons  became  ministers  of  the  latter  connection, 
Adam,  Jr.  (born  1787,  died  1877),  entered  the  ministry  in  1816 
and  was  the  first  editor  of  the  ''Christliche  Botschafter" ;  Ben- 
jamin (born  1794,  died  1838),  entered  the  ministry  in  18 16,  and 
traveled  a  number  of  years.  Jonas,  a  local  preacher,  and  said  to 
have  been  the  first  Evangelical  in  Kansas,  died  near  Leaven- 
worth, in  1863,  aged  78  years. 

I 

THE  VOICE  OF  PAUL  THE  APOSTLE,   i  Cor.  i :  26-31. 

For  ye  see  your  calling,  brethren,  how  that  not  many  wise  men 
after  the  flesh,  not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble,  are  called: 
but  God  hath  chosen  the  foolish  things  oi  the  world  to  confound 
the  wise ;  and  God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to 
confound  the  things  which  are  mighty;  and  base  things  of  the 
world,  and  things  which  are  despised,  hath  God  chosen,  yea,  and 
things  which  are  not,  to  bring  to  nought  things  that  are :  that  no 
flesh  should  glory  in  his  presence. 

But  of  him  are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  of  God  is  made  unto  us 
wisdom,  and  righteousness,  and  sanctification,  and  redemption: 
that,  according  as  it  is  written,  he  that  glorieth,  let  him  glory  in 
the  Lord. 

3  See  Bishop  Newcomer's  Journal,  pp.  141,  142,  160. 


the;  end. 


